LOVE YOUR LOCKS AND PREVENT BURGLARIES – PART 2

Welcome to part 2 of our 2015 ‘Love your Locks’ campaign, where we raise awareness about the types of locks many of us have in our homes and offices and how effective they are.
 

So, ‘Love your Locks’ is taking a tour of a home this year and in our last post Love Your Locks and Prevent Burglaries 2015 – Part 1, we made a start by looking at external buildings such as garden offices and sheds, where we often find security is compromised, as it’s more concealed.

In this post we are going to look at the rear of a home and those very important patio doors, French doors and back doors.

So, let’s start with UPVC French doors. You ideally want a multipoint locking system to comply with insurance regulations. I would suggest at least 3 locking points with 4 compression rollers. The rollers prevent spreading or forcing the doors apart, as they pull the doors together tightly. The cylinder should ideally be kite marked to British Standard BS3621. You may find our post Security Requirements for Insurance Companies helpful.

If you have wooden French doors, as mentioned previously, they are only as secure as the second opening leaf. Good quality hinge bolts should be fitted both at the top and bottom of these doors. Bolts add additional security to any other locks you should have in place. You will often find Espagnolette locks found on internal and external wooden French doors. 

So, how about sliding patio doors? These are a particular risk as they can often be lifted out of their frame by burglars, using garden tools for example. A qualified locksmith can advise on the installation of ant-lift measures for patio doors.

If you have a single wooden back door, you should ideally have a 5 lever dead lock and key operated security bolts at the top and bottom, such as rack bolts. See the image below.

Next time we will talk about front doors, windows and some of the other things that may assist burglars to gain access to our properties that we don’t necessarily think of. In the meantime, why not take a walk round your own property and see if any of your access points look particularly vulnerable?

Also, don’t forget we are very happy to give advice on the effectiveness of your locks via our blog or privately if you prefer. Send us a photo by email or text and your identity will of course remain anonymous.

If you need any other security advice whatsoever, please don’t hesitate to ask.