LOVE YOUR LOCKS AND PREVENT BURGLARIES – PART 1

It’s hard to believe that April is here already, which means it’s time for this year’s ‘Love your Locks’ campaign! I’ll cover some security advice for young people heading off to festivals in a later post, as I mentioned last month.
 

So, ‘Love your Locks’ is all about raising awareness about the types of locks many of us have in place and how effective they are. I also give advice on the best types of locks on the market and what you should be looking for when choosing home security or business security. As we did last year, we are very happy to take a look at photos of your locks and advise on their effectiveness on our blog. Your identity will of course remain anonymous.

So ‘Love your Locks’ will take a tour of a home this year over a series of blog posts. We are going to start at the rear of a property where we often find security is breached as it’s more concealed. Also, less attention is generally given to external buildings in relation to main front doors and back doors.

So, we will be starting with security for garden offices and sheds. In our first two photographs below, we have an office in the back garden. These buildings are often made from wood and are therefore more vulnerable. However, it is likely that there will be valuable equipment that would be catastrophic to lose. The doors here are double wooden doors and it’s important to note that they are only as secure as the second opening leaf. Good quality hinge bolts should be fitted both at the top and the bottom of these doors, as well as any other locks you have in place.

Hinge bolts should be fitted onto the hinge side of a door leaf.  As you close the door the bolt goes into a recess in the door frame. They should be fitted to all outward opening timber doors where the hinges are exposed and to inward opening doors that might be vulnerable to being kicked or forced open.

So, how about sheds and other external storage buildings. Many people have little or no security on their sheds, as it may be lower value items such as tools that are stored in them. Have a look at the pictures below of a shed that can be easily accessed by intruders. They may not want to steal the tools, but they can come in very handy to use to break in to your home. A spade for example, may be very useful if you don’t have anti lift patio doors. The spade can be used to lift these doors out of their frame.

So, I hope you’ll all now take a good look at the security in your sheds and garden offices with fresh eyes! In the second instalment of ‘Love your Locks’, we will take a look at those very important patio doors, French doors and back entrances. I will also talk about some of the other things you may have around your home or business that can assist burglars to gain access.

Until next time, stay safe!