A protective cover for a buckle of a latching system has a base plate having a base plate retaining area for housing the buckle. A cover is hingly coupled to the base plate and has a cover retaining area for housing the buckle when the cover is closed onto the base plate. A locking mechanism is provided for securing the cover to the base plate. An alarm circuit is housed within the base plate for sending an alarm signal when the cover is unlocked and opened prior to deactivating the alarm circuit.