The invention provides a monitoring and control system comprising a control unit (50) for receiving signals from a variety of detection devices (10, 21, 502) monitoring events pertaining to security. The control unit (50) transmits information related to the reception of such signals to a remote monitoring station (100) that stores and operates automatic evaluation routines to send an alert call to a chosen remote user terminal. The remote user terminal may conveniently be a PC, a PDA, a mobile phone or WAP enabled mobile phone, or a fixed line telephone. In some embodiments of the invention it may be possible to provide the monitoring station (100) with transmitted information including verification of the event. The nature of the event and verification may be determined by the control unit (50) or by the monitoring station (100). The invention also provides a control unit (50) for receiving alarm signals generated by detection devices (10, 21, 502) in response to detectable events, the control unit comprising interface unit (51) for receiving generated signals and a unit for transmitting information relating to the generated signals (500, 501, 510, 519) to a remote monitoring station (100).