None
of us like to think about crime and how we would react if we were the
victims of crime. Luckily crime is not as common as we are often led
to believe by the media. Reassuringly, burglary is actually becoming
less common in the UK. The Office for National Statistics (ONS)
reports that household burglary figures are continuing to fall. Since
1995 figures have fallen so much that we are now three times less
likely to be the victim of a household burglary- and that is very
good news.
There
is no need to be complacent however. Whilst we should not begin to
leave our windows and doors open day and night, there are some useful
things we should always do to ensure we do not invite the burglar in.
But basics are all we need. Of those people burgled in the UK, houses
with less than basic security were 6 times more likely to be targeted
than those with basic or enhanced home security (ONS May 2013).
So
what is basic security and how can we ensure that we have it? Well
clearly the main entry points to the house are the first things that
you need to consider. Windows and doors are the obvious starting
points. All insurance companies recommend that windows should be
fitted with key operated window locks both upstairs and downstairs
for example.
Perhaps
more important than windows, are our front and rear doors. 73% of
burglaries take place with the burglar accessing the property via a
door, so clearly doors should be as secure as possible. Dependent on
the construction of the door (ie uPVC, composite or timber) you will
need to ensure that the door itself is robust and secure and only
then consider the locks that you use. Not all locks are the same. A
door lock should be multi point locking in nature, using a lock
cylinder. Some cylinder locks are susceptible to snapping, and this
is something that a criminal can do to make sure he/she can get in
through the door. A
way of preventing this is to fit anti snap locks
to your front door.
Antisnap
locks work by having sections which are sacrificial. This means that
with an attempted forced entry the lock can be snapped, but not in a
way that will allow the door to open. There are a number of brands
that produce anti snap locks but they are not all of the same
standard. A way of comparing what is available is to look at whether
the product has been awarded the BSI TS007 3 star accreditation. This
means that the lock has passed rigorous anti snap tests.
Just
making sure that you have good key operated locking windows and doors
with well fitted, high standard locks is the first and best step to
household security. If you would like to find out more about cylinder
door locks of the anti-snap lock variety then contact
the team at Anti - Snap Locks on 0121 353 3644
or 580 8983
