Padua Eaton, 29, a survivor of domestic abuse who set up support group The Harborough Doves, said her “heart dropped” when she received the alert.
“My first thought was anxiety at the alarm – many people in domestic abuse relationships have a secret second phone in order to keep communication with friends or professionals and this alarm would have alerted abusers immediately,” she told BBC News.
“The government should have been more upfront about the alarm – telling the press 15 minutes before it went off is poor planning in my opinion.
“Other measures should have been put in place to inform people without resorting to the alarm at such short notice.”
She urged ministers to look into a silent notifications, warning that “if alarms become frequent, victims may no longer feel safe keeping these phones”.
Her concern was echoed by Maggie Evans, director of frontline services at abuse prevention charity Hourglass.
She called for ministers to consult organisations supporting the most vulnerable before future alerts.
“Domestic abuse victims should never be put at risk by the very systems meant to keep us all safe,” she said.
Evans said there had been “no meaningful advance warning to frontline domestic abuse charities” and “no targeted safety guidance for victims”.
“Effective public safety must always be built on proper safeguarding.”