Burglary Prevention
Burglary Prevention
Many occasions the burglars task is made easier, by the absence of suitable locks and security devices, and by not making use of the necessary measures to make your homes safe and secure.
A large percentage of crime is committed by opportunist thieves. For example, when a window has been left open and insecure, and a door has been left unlocked.
Currently, an increase is happening in house burglaries, where the houses concerned are fitted with uPVC doors, and the occupants are failing to lock the door after they have entered the house, leaving the door closed but insecure to the potential thief.
Wooden Doors
At one time all homes were fitted with wooden front and rear doors. Many people still choose to have wooden doors fitted when the time comes to have them replaced.
The ideal front door security needs an automatic deadlocking rim lock together with a mortice deadlock to British Standard 3621 or the equivalent European Standard EN12209. The mortice lock should be at least a 5 lever mortice lock.
The main lock on a wooden door should be fitted a distance of one-third from the bottom of the door, avoiding any of the construction joints in the door. Internally, additional bolts should be fitted to the door, which are only operable from the inside.
Either surface mounted bolts, or mortice rack bolts, (those fitted in to the structure to the door, and which operate using a threaded key on the inside).
If the door is glazed, is the glass toughened or laminated?
If the door opens outwards, efforts should be made to conceal any access to the door hinges, which could be attacked if they are visible.
Also, quality locks are only as strong as the doors and frames to which they are attached. Ensure that the frame is sound and the door suitable for external use, and is not merely a panelled door more usually fitted inside homes.
If necessary, consider fitting metal strips to the frame and the door, which will further improve the strength of the door and frame.
For added security fit a door viewer and a door chain or limiter. If you are regularly in the habit of leaving unattended external doors insecure, you may also find that if you do have a burglary, that your insurance company may dispute your insurance claim. It is pretty pointless, claiming that you have doors with the recommended security, if they are not locked.
uPVC or PVCu doors
In recent years, a massive number of private and rented homes have undergone external door replacement, and when doing so have chosen to replace external doors to their homes with uPVC or PVCu.
In many cases, the occupants had been used to their wooden doors being fitted with Yale type door locks, which locked the door automatically when the door was closed behind them, and could only be opened from the outside by using a key.
When they then replace them with a uPVC or PVCu door, they fail to take account of the fact that in most cases these new doors rely on the occupant actually physically using a key to lock the door, even from the 'inside'.
Unless these doors are locked with a key, the door remains insecure to a potential thief, who can easily open the door from the 'outside'.
Most of these doors are not suitable for fitting additional security devices to, after the door has been fitted, sometimes called retro-fit.
Some additional devices do exist, and most suppliers/fitters and manufacturers can advise you on what is available.
Amongst those devices are mechanisms called 'split spindles' and 'thumb turns' which will aid the initial security of a uPVC/PVCu door, but it is fair to say, that the best way to secure one of these doors is to
'ALWAYS USE THE KEY - AND LOCK IT'.
Don't forget - it's a waste of time fitting front door security if you don't use it when you leave the house. "I was only gone for a few minutes", or "I just popped out to fetch the children from school" are common excuses given for not engaging the locks.
If the door is glazed, is it toughened or with laminated glass?
French Doors
These doors can be less secure than standard single leaf doors. However, this need not be the case provided suitable security measures are taken.
The doors should be fitted with mortice rack bolts, (bolts fitted within the door and operated internally by a threaded key). Alternatively, use a surface-mounted locking bolt on each door (push to lock, key to open).
Whichever type you use, they should be fitted to the top and the bottom, to provide rigidity, especially at the mid-point, where both doors meet each other. Any bolts and locks must lock well in to each other or especially the surrounding frame.
If the style of door is capable of it, a mortice sash lock should be fitted for extra security.
As most French Doors open outwards, hinge bolts are also recommended.
Consider replacing ordinary or toughened glass panels with laminated glass.
Patio doors
Thieves often target patio doors, and unless they are fitted with a multi-locking system, it is best to fit extra locks. These are fitted on the bottom fixed frame pushing through to the sliding frame in the centre and on the side frame at the opening point no lower than a third of the way from the top of the door.
Some patio doors can be lifted off their track. If you can lift it more than ¼" (6 mm) simply screw wood blocks of a suitable depth into the channel above the opening door to prevent this. Alternatively, anti-lift devices are available from us here at Bath Lock and Key locksmiths.