Darker Nights & Home Security

National Home Security Month

National Home Security Month

You probably won’t know this, but every October in the UK is National Home Security Month. October was chosen for a reason and that is because it’s when the evenings are noticeably darker. That makes it easier for the burglar to know when properties are occupied, and it makes it easier for the intruder to hide in dark corners. Garden hedges are a fantastic place for intruders to hide if they think they have been caught in the act, and they will actively seek out properties with large, softer hedges as potential hiding spots at night. A plain fence might be boring, but it can be the difference between you not being burgled as a matter of choice, over your neighbour.

One of the interesting facts that I read in my magazine for lock geeks this month was that while cylinder snapping is still the number one method of entry (less than 60 secs with no power tools if you only have standard locking cylinders on your UPVC/composite door), a growing number are using the garage where there is a connecting door from the garage to the house. Garages and sheds are notorious for poor security anyway, so these overlooked entrances are an easy target. When the connecting doors often have only 2 or 3 lever locks, there are simple tools that do the job.

Sheds & burglars

Recently I had to gain entry to a property where one partner was denying the other entry over a domestic dispute by leaving a key on the inside of the lock. The locks themselves were top level and ordinarily, would have put me off, but I knew the key was on the other side. Once I checked my customer had legal right to enter the property, I started work. I have an ‘outside in’ tool that goes through the letter box and allowed me to rotate the key and open the door. My point is this, no matter how good your lock is, if you leave a key on the inside of a door with a letter box, or have a thumb turn on the inside, you might as well not bother locking your door. The letterbox is a massive temptation for thieves. Many people leave car keys, door keys and the like on surfaces near front doors. It is very convenient after all. But thieves can go fishing through letter boxes and easily reach things you thought were safe. A good cheap deterrent is a letter bin that goes over the inside of the letterbox. Your newspaper delivery person will not thank you, but you will be more secure. Better still, get an external post box and seal your letterbox completely. Your locksmith won’t thank you if you lose your keys, but he/she will admire your security consciousness.

On that note, there are now safe lockable delivery boxes for all the large packages we now receive from the likes of Amazon. Having watched hours of doorcam footage on Youtube of doorstep thieves, I cannot recommend these enough. Please enquire if you would like more information.

Back to this dispute case; At the same house, I was asked to open the garage. As I said above, garages are often terrible in terms of security and often hold great bounties for opportunists who have time to sell stuff on ebay or at car boot sales. The front up and over door was actually quite secure. I could have opened it with time consuming picking or drilling, but the side human entrance door was poorly fitted and although there was a good five lever mortice lock in place, the gap between door and frame was so big, I popped the door in seconds. As there was a lot of high value stuff being stored in this garage, the security was woefully inadequate, but very normal in comparison to what I see on a daily basis. My point is, do not overlook the security of your exterior buildings. Normally I say one good lock is a good enough deterrent, but on buildings with flimsy doors where we increasingly keep valuable stuff, two locks are going to slow down the intruder enough to make him consider going elsewhere for an easier target.

If you have any questions regarding the above, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone, email or the contact section of this site.

Thanks for reading.

admin October 29, 2021

garage security / Leaving keys in locks / Lockable delivery boxes / Security for deliveries / shed security /

National Home Security Month (Part 2)



Week one of National Home Security Month has drawn our attention to a great smart phone app that tells you how many burglaries there have been within a one mile radius of your home recently. Apart from telling you there are home intruders operating in your area, it is also interestingly shows who does not have adequate security. For example, I know of a housing development in Aylsham where all the front doors are fitted with kite marked ‘Yale’ type locks. Locksmiths and burglars can tell at a distance that these properties are very secure, from the front at least. Unfortunately, most of these properties have double glazed back doors with standard cylinders which are easily broken into, but whereas the more determined home intruder might check out the back, the opportunist will scout the first few properties in the area and might well decide the pickings would be easier elsewhere. Therefore, the burglary rate is lower.

Some statistics taken from National Home Security Month:

  • Burglars typically spend less than one minute getting into a home.  That’s how easy it can be. And that’s what we want to protect against. If they can’t get into your home in less than a minute, then they may go and look elsewhere. I was speaking to a friend just yesterday who told me he is terrible for forgetting where he left his keys, but doesn’t worry about it because he has alternative ways into his house. I tried to explain that this is a terrible situation but some people will only learn the hard way. It also scares me that he tells other people that his house is easy to burgle. Don’t be like my friend. Have quality locks fitted and keep them in good working order.
  • 73% of burglars gain entry via a door.   Think about this. They want to carry as much of your stuff off as possible and that means going through a door. Trying to get out of a window with the loot runs the risk of injury or getting stuck, and therefore caught. So why break in through a window if you won’t be able to use a door to escape? I would take an informed guess that most of the remaining 27% were breaking in with intent of stealing specific items. That is a guess, but one that makes sense.
  • 1 in 3 people admit to leaving the door unlocked when they leave the house! When I was growing up, I remember just about everybody in our street popping in and out of other people’s houses – but in that long distant past, we all looked out for our neighbours. Nowadays it seems most of us only communicate with our neighbours with a quick hello in passing, so leaving doors unlocked just seems insane. If you are the sort of person that does this, then invest in the type of lock that will need a key to get back in. There is no excuse. About the only thing worse than leaving doors unlocked would be to paint a sign out side saying “Please come in and take what you want!”
  • People without window locks and double locks or deadlocks on external doors are six times more likely to be burgled. Quite simply, even if the burglar can’t see from a distance that you are well protected, a quick try at some of your windows might tell him to look elsewhere. Remember, when they do come in through the window, it is because they can force the frame. They don’t want to break the glass because that leads to the risk of injury and if they do cut themselves, they are leaving forensic evidence.

If you would like any advice about your home security, without sales pitch, please feel free to contact me via the contacts page on the web site.

National Home Security Month has been designed to create awareness around the importance of home security and get people security savvy in time for winter. The nationwide initiative, which runs throughout the month of October is supported by security specialist Yale, but is open to lots of organisations, including businesses, charities and not-for-profit groups, as well as members of the general public.

Thank you for reading.

admin October 6, 2014

Improve your home security / National Home Security Month /

National Home Security Month

This coming October is the second National Home Security Month sponsored By Yale, one of the biggest lock manufacturers in the UK. The aim of the campaign is to highlight areas where people can improve their home security. There is nothing to do with sales – just good honest advice and a look at what the future holds for home security, including the evolution of the “Smart Home” and some of the latest security gadgets. Anyone interested can go to www.homesecuritymonth.com throughout October to find out any information required. They will supply more information each week throughout the month. Domestic burglaries increase by 20% during the darker months, so this is the perfect time to make sure your home is as safe as it can be.

I hear time and again that if the burglar wants to get in, they will – but the burglar wants to get in quickly and quietly and if your home makes it difficult for them and next door makes it easy, he’s going to go next door! It really is that simple. Apart from conforming to insurance standards, it’s a bit like actually being ‘The Joneses’ and making sure you are way ahead of your neighbours!

Of course, you don’t have to wait until October to get unbiased, honest advice about your home security. I am happy to come and check your home for you and make relevant suggestions with a promise of no selling. If your home is secure, I will gladly congratulate you. If it’s not, I’ll tell its weaknesses and show you the products that can make it better and how. I will then leave you to carry out the work either by yourself, a friend or me if you want to. Even if you think your property is up to scratch, it will cost you nothing more than maybe a cup of tea to have it looked at. I have now been working in and around Holt for five years and while I would never say “I’ve seen it all,” I have seen a surprising amount of locks that are just not fit for purpose, so if you do have me stop by and I do tell you your lock is not adequate, don’t feel bad, it’s an easy mistake!

Alternatively, you can send a question about National Home Security Month or any other lock/security related issues through my contacts page on the website www.ac-locksmiths-norfolk.com  Thanks for reading.

admin September 17, 2014

Home security advice / National Home Security Month /