New Year – New Jeans v New Locks!

New Year – New Locks!

Christmas is over and the New Year is here. The sales are already in full swing and many credit cards are taking a full on battering! Somehow, we are even starting to think about holidays! This time of year seems to bring out the spend monster in many of us.

So if we can go all out to buy that new telly, or furniture, or computer, or washing machine, and save hundreds of pounds, why not seriously consider putting the savings to good use and making sure your home is secure? This morning I have transformed a property from one I could get into within seconds, to one that a burglar will look at from a distance and instantly look to the next property as a potential target  – and all for well under £200.

Many people live in homes that very often have old and out dated locks. But most information is online. Without stereotyping, many older people do not have/want access to the internet, so please if you know someone elderly or infirm, check their locks for them. Especially look for kite marked locks and if they don’t have them, help them look up the number of a local locksmith. So many homes that should have 5 lever mortice locks – the generally accepted insurance standard, only have three lever locks or even just two lever. These can be replaced for little over £100. And remember we are not talking about double glazed doors here which have multi-point locking systems.

On the subject of double glazed doors, those hooks, bolts rollers, etc, count for nothing if you have a standard locking barrel. These can be snapped and access gained in under a minute, so please make sure your barrel is kite marked and preferably given a three star rating as well; I had to gain access to one of these over Christmas, and the wear on my extra-tough drill bits was incredible. I can say it is possible to gain access through these locks, but the time and effort involved goes way beyond what a burglar would want to use, and as these locks are visibly different, they deter burglars from a distance. The upgrade for these high security locks is well under £100 per lock.

So, if you have waited until now to spend £200 on a pair of jeans because they used to be £300 ask yourself if you really need them? A new kite marked lock might not be as exciting, but it might just save you a future nightmare, not just on a material level. Unless something of particular family value has been stolen, most people get over the loss of replaceable belongings quite quickly. But most victims find it extremely hard to get over the invasion of their private space and almost all agree they would not have been victims if they had had the correct levels of security in place to begin with.

There is a certain feeling that goes with knowing your property is secure. I challenge you to try it. The excitement of wearing that new pair of jeans might diminish when you get your credit card statement or you desperately need cash for something else, but you will never regret upgrading your security.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!

admin January 3, 2015

kite marked locks / New Year - New Locks! /

Beat the burglars!

When we say ‘Beat the burglars!’ we don’t meet mean literally – however tempting it may be!  But, we hope, by reading our blog, that we can help you make your home more secure and therefore much harder for the average burglar to gain access to your property.

Yesterday I attended a job where my unfortunate customer had lost his keys. Like some people he was more used to leaving his property via the back door as this was closest to the car which was parked out back, and it was his back door key that he had lost. As with most of my jobs, I spent my journey time thinking about the various methods I would be using to get him into his house and when I arrived, I discovered that all those thoughts were for nothing, because he informed me he always leaves his front door key in the lock. It therefore took me seconds to set up one of my gadgets and go in through the letterbox to hook the key and retrieve it for use. Everyone was happy. He was back into his house, I had earned some money and there was no damage to the property.

But again I came away wandering at how vulnerable people leave their houses. I read crime reports and study statistics, but it brings it all home when I see it for real. And I see it all too often! The tools I use are readily available to all on line, so if its easy for me, its really easy for a burglar who does not care about damaging things on the way into his victim’s house. If your keys are anywhere within a few feet of your letter box, you may as well, in my opinion have a sign in huge neon letters saying; “Come and take what you want!”

Home security do’s and do not’s:

• Do not leave any key in the lock at any time.
• Do not place key racks near doors with letter boxes.
• Do not put key racks in view of windows.
• If you need to keep a key near the door, put it in something that must be opened, like a drawer.
• Do invest in a post basket on the back of your door. This adds another layer of protection.
• Do check your locks are British Standard Kite marked, even if your insurance does not specify it.
ABS kite marked lock
• When going out, keep your keys separate from any documentation that may have your address on it.
• Do invite a local locksmith to do a security check. (Make sure they don’t charge!)
• Do pass on this information to vulnerable friends and relatives. (They are often victims and although you would never have the satisfaction of knowing you have helped them thwart a burglar, you may feel bad if they were to become a victim and you could have done something to help).
• Do make use of technology. Yale have an app that tells you what burglaries have occurred within a mile of your postcode in the last month.

On a final good note, I would like to congratulate one of my customers who owns a holiday home in Little Walsingham as being the only such person I know so far who regularly changes the code on his key safe. Yes, it does mean he has to take a bit of extra time to inform his cleaners every time he does it, but he keeps things like a TV and music centre in that house for guests’ use and it’s good that only the last few guests know the code, meaning that if someone were to come back and burgle the property, the list of suspects is very short, as opposed to the norm where the code remains the same for years on end.

Thanks for reading!

To beat the burglars – please feel free to call us for a free security check – I promise no hard sell, just honest advice!
Click here for genuine customer testimonials.


admin October 21, 2014

Beat the burglars! /

More News on Snap-Secure locks.

Readers of my previous blogs will know by now that I, along with the locksmithing industry, am keen to make people as aware as possible of the benefits of Snap-Secure locks. I have just read an article in an industry magazine that has further inspired me to re-iterate my focus, the main points of which I shall relay here.

The snapping of the barrel locks that run through double glazed, composite, aluminum and some wooden doors is now unofficially the main method through which burglaries are carried out in many areas. Insurance remit is to replace like for like, so if your home is attacked, the locks you get from your insurance company will be just as prone to attack and some burglars will return to the same targets.

West Yorkshire Police fitted 10,000 homes in Leeds with ABS 3 star diamond standard Snap-Secure Locks during 2012, along with other crime prevention initiatives, and over a 12 month period saw a 36 per cent decrease in burglaries in the trial area. As this was a high crime area, that 36 per cent equated to over 3,000 less victims of crime in just twelve months.

So let’s think about this for a moment; A high crime area means lots of criminals who know what they are doing. Even those who don’t know what to do can get instructions on the internet and could be inside your home in less than a minute – with no power tools required. Yet now 8 people a day are not victims any longer. Home Insurance companies must have saved huge amounts and if the whole country were to take up increased security, that would mean they save even more and we would surely notice a drop in insurance premiums that would allow the locks to eventually pay for themselves!

Now I know Norfolk is a comparatively low crime area but burglaries do happen, even in the `safer’ areas.

Now, I know that you can get BSI rated cylinders in DIY stores and on line. But these still have their limitations. I am not going to go into those limitations here, but there are ample sources elsewhere on the internet. These locks can cost between £50 and £60 in big chain DIY shops.

What I can tell you is that the ABS diamond standard cylinders go beyond anything else available right now. Even the key and pins are magnetic, making lock picking virtually impossible. I cannot say that these locks are impregnable, and I cannot say that the determined burglar will not seek out a secondary weak point in your overall security, but what I can say is if the burglar is going to attack your home through this lock, he is going to need a lot of tools and make a lot a noise and take a lot of time. I fully endorse these locks and currently only charge £62 for these locks, and if you have two fitted, there is no labour charge.

I would suggest to all readers that they call their home insurance company right now and ask what discount they can have for fitting a lock rated higher than TS3621. If they won’t offer a discount, tell them you will go elsewhere at next renewal and if they still don’t offer a discount, make sure you find a company that will. In the meantime, if you value anything in your home, talk to us about fitting ABS cylinders. And if you know anyone who is vulnerable, talk to them about being more secure as well.

My best customers are the ones who grumble about the cost of security without ever seeing the benefit. My least favourite jobs are the ones where customers wish they had taken preventative measures before their homes were invaded.

Thanks for reading.

admin August 29, 2014

home insurance / Snap-Secure locks /

Commercial Locksmith Norfolk

On my outings as an average shopper, I cannot help but look at the locks I pass. I find myself guessing how quickly I think I could get into a lock should the owners lose their keys. For many shops and businesses, the estimate is scarily quickly, and I am not thinking about using power tools either, because it is my job to try and think like a burglar and they want to be in and out as quick as possible.  

Just think about this for a minute: The intruder of a shop can usually see exactly what he wants or can legally enter and scout the shop during opening hours, so once he is through the door, it takes very little time to get what he wants and leave before anyone knows anything about it. He does not have to search room to room as he would in a house and so theft is much easier.  

Warehouse type businesses have great big doors, often with ram-posts behind to stop them being driven through, but if the office door is easy to attack, then what is the point of the other security. It has to be all or nothing. 

Complacency is easy, after all isn’t that why we have insurance? But insurance companies are businesses themselves and they are also about making money, so if they have to pay out for your loss, have a stiff drink ready for when your renewal time comes around. Or be prepared for business upheaval when they list a string of new measures to be put in place so that you can continue to be insured.  

So, what is to stop you having the best security you can?  

Is cost a factor? No. Quite simply, making sure your premises is as secure as it can be, is a business cost and therefore should be tax deductible. Yes, you may need to pay for it now, but the cost can be offset when you put your tax return in and therefore reduces your tax bill.  

Will it interfere with my customers? Not so. Most residential or commercial locksmiths will work outside of normal business hours, so your customers won’t be inconvenienced and a CRB should tell you the locksmith is trustworthy should you want to go home yourself. I personally would be quite happy to work late into the night to get the job done if it was needed. 

So what measures might one take? 

Firstly, just about all new business premises have double glazed doors, be they UPVC or of metal construction. Unless they have a kite marked cylinder, they are easy to break into without power tools. Have these changed as a priority and ask your locksmith for a 3 star rated cylinder as these really are the best of the best. 

If your business is based in an older building, how about fitting a magnetic lock with remote fobs? The power can be switched off during opening hours and then the staff who need to get in at opening times simply zap the device which will cut the power allowing entry.  

Don’t rely on security grilles either. Inside ones are better as the locks face away from the intruder and cannot be got at easily, but the big shop front grilles are only as good as the locks and many can be picked in the same way a standard rim cylinder (‘Yale’) can be. And if they are held in place by padlocks, then the quality of the padlock needs to be of a suitable standard. I wouldn’t spend less than £60 for a top European rated one that will really slow the attacker down.  

Of course we know that nothing is impervious to attack, but the idea is to make it as hard as possible. But what if they do get in? Do you have an alarm? And if you do, is it one that just rings, hoping for a passer by to actually contact someone who can investigate? How long will it be before you actually find out your business in under attack? There are now wireless systems that can send a message direct to your phone as soon as the alarm is triggered so you can act immediately. 

There is CCTV that does the same; sending you direct images of what is happening in real time. And again, wireless technology makes these systems easy to install with minimum disruption. 

So, why be a victim? If you own your business property, make sure your assets are protected. If you don’t own it, ask your landlord to make sure your property is up to scratch.  

You can talk to me about any of the above issues by any of the means on our contact page. 

Thanks for reading. 
AC Locksmiths Norfolk

admin March 11, 2014

Business locksmiths / Commercial Locksmiths / Security advice /

Urgent – Burglary scam

I have just had to change the locks for an elderly gentleman in Holt because his keys were stolen through a doorstep scam. The victim in question has UPVC doors and the scam went like this:

* The victim answers the door bell as per usual to be confronted by a stranger

* The stranger reports seeing someone going over his back garden wall

* Immediately worried, the victim heads to the rear of the house leaving the ‘Good Samaritan’ with an open door and a bunch of keys hanging in the lock.

* The victim finds no evidence of an intruder in his back garden and returns to the front door to find no one there and his keys missing.

Now this could be a prank or it could be an organised criminal looking to come back at a later date with easy access to a victim’s home. Either way, the gentleman in question has had to change his locks for peace of mind.

Unfortunately, the vile people who carry out these scams will target areas where the older generations live. Suffice to say, if you are reading this in any area and you know older people, please, without scaring them, let them know about this scam. Do not leave strangers at your door unattended for any reason. It may seem impolite to shut the door on someone who could be doing you a huge favour, but better to be rude than out of pocket, or worse! Even a safety chain may leave enough gap for someone to reach around remove the keys. Crime prevention is the best way.

Finally, if you have been the victim of a scam and do need to have your locks changed, I am sympathetic and while I cannot change my prices, I will do my best to accommodate those who may not be able to afford the cost straight away. Also, do not forget to check your home insurance policy, as you may be able to have some of the cost refunded.

Thanks for reading.

AC Locksmiths

admin February 28, 2014

Crime prevention / Home security /

Rented properties with sub-standard locks.

Rented properties with sub-standard locks. 

Last night I was called to replace a lock because the old one had failed. Both the landlord and tenant of the property were present which made life convenient when showing them that the old lock did not meet insurance standards. So, had the lock not failed, and at some point the property became another burglary statistic, the insurance company would not have had to pay out. If you are a tenant renting a property, make sure your landlord has insurance rated locks in place. If you don’t know what to look for, call a professional. Any decent locksmith will check for you free of charge or at least go through the signs with you over the phone. If you are a landlord, put insurance standard locks to all final exit doors of your properties and then use that as a selling point. It should be tax deductible, so why not do it?

Benefits of the three main types of lock at insurance standard (Or BS3621):-

  • On a wooden door, you normally have a Night latch (Yale) type lock and/or a mortice (Chubb) lock. There are many brands but Yale and Chubb seem to be the ones people use most. Night latch; If you cannot see a kite mark, then it either needs replacing or there should be another lock on the door that does have a kite mark. A BS3621 rated Night latch will have a protective surround to the key hole, which when fitted correctly, will be reinforced by additional screws set into the inside of the door. This surround makes attack by drilling a lot harder. It has more pins than the standard cylinders making it a lot harder to pick and ‘bump’. It also automatically deadlocks when the door is closed, making sure nothing can be slipped between the door and frame to open it that way. They can also have a key operation on the inside, which means if a burglar breaks in through a window, he cannot carry anything out the easy way through your door (although whenever you lock it from the inside, you should be sure where the key is in case of fire). There is also a push button snib, which, while not an insurance requirement, does have its advantages as readers of previous blogs will be aware.
  • The mortice lock; These are the ones I find to be most lacking on rented properties. If you look at the lock where it sits in the leading edge of the door, the absolute minimum requirement is that it is a five lever lock and it will usually say so. Sometimes the locks are so old and dirty, it is hard to see. Ideally it will have a kite mark which will bring it up to insurance standards. But beware, because I have come across a couple of instances where the faceplate of a five lever lock has been put on a lesser model. If anything looks mis-matched, then investigate further. If you remove the lock from your door, a genuine BS3621 will reveal the following features – The bolt itself will have some sort of anti-saw feature. This may either be rollers running through it or a compound designed to stick to a hack-saw blade (you can tell this by the bolt having alternate layers of metal and black material. You will also find an extra thickness of metal. This is an anti-drill plate that hinders even the best drill bits. Around the top of the key hole you will find a tube that goes through the lock. This is called an anti-pick curtain that prevents lock picks being used. Also inside they have ‘traps’ that also hinder anyone trying to manipulate the levers. In the break ins I have attended where these locks were fitted, the door and frame have always failed before the lock and that is why they are so good.
  • UPVC doors and ‘composite’ doors usually have a Euro cylinder lock. For those who have not read my previous blogs, despite all the hooks, rollers and shoot bolts that go with these doors, it has been demonstrated by the BBC and West Yorkshire police that if you have a standard Euro cylinder lock barrel on these doors, then an intruder can get into your home in just 39 seconds with no power tools at all. That’s less time than it takes some people who have keys, to get in after a night out! It is here that you need to check your insurance policy carefully because BS3621 rated cylinders have only been around for a short time. If your insurance states a five lever lock, it is NOT referring to the amount of hooks and bolts and rollers on a UPVC door. Five levers is regarding a mortice lock. (See above). But if your insurance states BS3621 on all final exit doors then each lock must at the very least display a kite mark and for these locks you will see it just below the key hole. The standard cylinders are held in by a single screw and the metal around them is very thin, making them easy to snap if you know what to do. So, even if your insurance does not require BS3621, you should change these locks as a matter of personal piece of mind.But even within these locks there are various levels of strength. The ones I prefer to use have the top ranking and I have yet to see them in the shops. I use them for the following reasons. The easiest way to get past the standard style of Euro cylinder is to snap it (possible with the correct tools) and even the so called ‘anti-snap’ products have been shown to break if enough force is applied  – remember the burglar is not worried about damage to the door itself. While the anti-pick and anti-drill features of the kite marked euro-cylinders are better than the standard, the lock I use has a dimpled key and this design makes everything harder. It also prevents ‘bumping’ and therefore just about every type of attack the burglar employs is rendered almost useless. I say almost useless because at the end of the day, a very determined burglar will always find a way in, but they know as soon as they see this lock it going to be hassle and therefore are more likely to move on to the next easier target.

Away from insurance issues, if you have a UPVC door that only has rollers to engage when you lift the handles, then this also needs looking at. Rollers can be popped out of position by someone who knows how, so upgrading to a mechanism that has hooks or good size bolts is also something that should be considered.

If you would like to discuss any of information contained in this blog, please call or email. You can find all our details on the contacts page.

Thanks for reading.

admin February 26, 2014

Crime prevention / insurance standard locks / Rented property /

Locked Out – Who you gonna call?

One of the most common problems I come up against is people accidentally sliding the snib that activates the latch on a Yale-type lock. Because people do not realise they have done this, the door is hard to close and is then slammed shut and forgotten about until the key holder returns to find their key does not turn the lock.

Once the door has been closed with the latch activated, the only way to de-activate it is from the inside; the key will not work until this has been done. Locksmiths carry tools to manipulate the inner latch from the outside, but the door needs to have a good size letter box, and some light on the subject is particularly useful – as locksmiths may use mirrors to help see what they are doing. The pressure put on the latch when the door has slammed, can make the snib very stiff to manipulate.

Sometimes the only way to get past this problem (this really is the last resort) is to drill out the front part of the lock, and remove it before taking up a heavy masonry chisel and smashing the rear part of the lock off from the outside, which runs the risk of damaging the door as the fixing screws are ripped out.

The way to avoid the possibility of this happening is to invest in a British Standard auto-deadlocking night latch. These have the same, general operation as the standard night latch or “Yale” type locks, but with a few differences; Firstly, they are more resistant to picking, drilling and other forms of attack, making them much more secure. You can only use the latch mechanism when the bolt is retracted, making all the above problems go away in one fell swoop, and because of this, the normal sliding snib is replaced by a push button that can only be operated when the bolt is being held back, so no accidental operation.

The other great thing about these locks is their longevity. In my time as a locksmith, I have attended mechanical failures of mortice locks, upcv cylinders and standard yale locks on a fairly regular basis. In fact, most of my work involves replacing faulty locks of the above types, but so far, I have only had to get into one British Standard Night latch, which I am thankful for because the toll on my tools was impressive, making it a great bit of kit to deter unwanted intruders.

While these locks are not cheap, they can save the cost of a more expensive door repair should the accidental snib slide happen to you.

Thanks for reading.

admin January 27, 2014

Locked Out /

Holiday Home Security

Now that the Christmas season is over, we all seem to be looking towards our summer holidays and Norfolk has no end of holiday homes available to those who want to get away. But as an owner of a holiday home, what could be worse than your home manager or tenants phoning you to say the property has been broken into?

The amount of break-ins I have been attending in Norfolk is on the rise and holiday homes are no exception. As a generalisation, it also seems that many holiday home owners have sub-standard locks fitted. But nowadays, more people want to bring their electronics with them on holiday and what better way to attract customers than to offer better security for their devices than the competition?

If I were heading for a day out on the broads, I would want to know that my laptop, mobile phone ,mp3 player and all the other bits were safe while I was out. So next time you visit your holiday home, treat it as the investment it is supposed to be and check all locks are kite marked to ensure they comply with the strictest of insurance compliance. All windows on ground and at least first floors should have working locks. Sash windows should also have lockable jammers that allow ventilation but not open far enough for small children to fall out.

It is also important to advertise that your home is protected.  Something as cheap as a dummy CCTV camera should be enough to put off the vandals, while a good alarm system will make sure you are informed via text message if your home is broken into. What’s more, the cost of installing an alarm or CCTV is a valid business expense and therefore the cost can be offset against tax, while giving you an extra selling point when advertising your holiday home, so it’s a complete win-win situation.

AC Locksmiths Norfolk can provide your security needs with a fast and friendly service; so whether you need a burglar alarm in Sheringham, or CCTV in Cromer, we can provide a solution that fits your budget. We cover the whole of Norfolk, from Hunstanton to Kings Lynn, to Downham Market, all the way across to Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth and Caister, along with all the towns and villages in between. We use police and insurance compliant products that are wireless and easy to use. Wireless technology makes the systems fully custom made to suit your requirements as well.

Please use the contacts page to get in touch and arrange a convenient time for a free consultation.

Thanks for reading.

 

admin January 14, 2014

Home security /

Keep Your Home Secure at Christmas

With the big day approaching, no one wants to add to their stress by thinking too much about home security, but it is a time when we spend long periods away visiting relatives leaving our homes vulnerable to possible burglars.

Nothing advertises an empty house more than Christmas lights that have been put up but not switched on, or are on during the day, so make sure your lights have a timer. If you have lights that have electrical leads coming into your house, it is easy to forget to lock the windows where the lead comes in, so double check this has been done, especially on wooden windows, as the lead can be used to pull the window open enough to get a tool in that might be able to manipulate the handles from the outside.

Check your insurance documentation. Many insurers are now stating that locks be rated BS 3621. That means whether your door is wooden, upvc or metal, the lock should have a distinct kite mark. The insurance sellers might not tell you this at point of sale, and most of my security upgrades are the result of people actually reading the policy documents and finding they were not covered. While rare, burglaries do happen in Norfolk. Yale have a mobile phone application that will tell you how many burglaries have occurred in the last month within a mile of any post code you enter. Its free and easy to use so worth downloading. Not to scare you but to just be aware.

Finally, AC Locksmiths would like to wish all our customers and blog readers a safe, secure, and a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

admin December 23, 2013

Home security at Christmas /

Burglaries…What can YOU do?

I cannot stress how important it is to do whatever you can to protect your home.

Although Norfolk is quite low on the burglary scale against the rest of the UK, we still have home intruders and they still go for easy targets. The most recent burglary I attended was a case where an insurance standard lock was not fitted on the door through which they gained entry. The alarm was not switched on, and the door through which the intruders entered was dark and secluded. All ideal circumstances for a burglar. The thieves made off with jewellery, ignoring the laptop computers on their way to the bedroom. Whilst it would have been a pain waiting for insurance to replace computers, the family heirlooms amongst the jewellery can never be replaced.

So here again, are the things you should be looking for when making sure you are as safe as you can be and also covered by most insurers.

If you have a upvc door, the locking barrel should have a kite mark on it. Regardless of the number of hooks and bolts and rollers the door has, this is the weak spot and I can guarantee most people reading this will have the basic barrels that are easy to bypass for those who know how, which unfortunately includes the burglars. Even among the kite marked barrels there are varying degrees of safety and we welcome all enquires along with free security checks.

If you have a wooden door with a ‘Yale’ type lock only, then this must also display a kite mark. You will usually see this on the part that is on the front edge of the door and therefore you will have to open the door to see it. These usually also have a chunky part around the keyhole to resist attack. The official name for these is an Automatic Deadlocking Nightlatch. If you only have a basic nightlatch and no other lock on your door, then you are asking for trouble as bypassing the standard nightlatch often takes less than a minute with no major tools.

The other locks found on wooden doors are mortice locks, often called “Chubb” locks. These are the ones that sit inside the door itself. Many people read in their insurance about 5 lever locks and confuse this with the upvc multi-point locking systems. The five levers are actually inside the mortice lock. You can get 2 lever locks, suitable for bathrooms, etc, 3 lever locks suitable for internal doors and then 5 lever mortice locks for final exit doors. If you have a 3 lever lock on your outer door, it will be vulnerable in many ways. They are easy to pick. They are easy to drill. The bolt does not come out as far as a 5 lever lock and they are therefore easier to lever open. The supplied keeps are never as robust either. Kite marked British Standard 5 lever mortice locks are designed to be difficult to pick. They have anti-drill plates. The bolts extend further and are protected against hacksaws and the keeps are strong with long screws to help ensure against being levered open.

If you have any doors in dark areas, invest in a powerful sensor light, and dummy CCTV cameras are a great deterrent. But a real CCTV system can be tailored to most budgets and burglar alarms can now send a message straight to your mobile phone alerting you to a break in, allowing you to be aware instantly that someone has triggered it. Even if you have pets that roam free, modern alarms can be set so that animals do not trigger them, while larger humans do.

Finally, many say to me that if a burglar wants to get into your house, then he will and unfortunately this is true. But he also wants to be able to get out fast without cutting himself on broken glass, so a solid lock on your door is still the best deterrent.

 

admin December 23, 2013

insurance standards / kite marked /

1 2 3 4 5