Burglaries in Norfolk

Burglaries Alert

In the last month or so there have been some burglaries in the North Norfolk area. I know of at least one in Holt and two in Stifkey. In the last year, I have also attended burglaries in Wiveton and other villages along the North Norfolk coast.

Norfolk Winter sky and beach

In general, Norfolk has a low crime rate compared to the rest of the country, but it is not immune. And I still see properties without insurance standard locks every week. At the time of writing this, I am ordering locking products for one property that has two main doors and two sets of French doors. The locks I am replacing are so poor, that it only takes a hard shake to force the French doors open. The customer only called me to replace one lock that they thought was temperamental, and that was the good one. The cost of the job is now four times what the customer had anticipated, but at least now if they fall victim to the burglar (less likely as the locks are much better), their insurance will cover the material loses.

Kite marked lock AC LocksmithsPlease, for your own peace of mind, check your locks right now. Try to see if they carry a British standard kitemark that will tell you they are insurance approved and a better deterrent to the burglar. If you are unsure, call your local locksmith. If they are any good, they will do a free security check (or for little cost if you live remotely). If you have elderly relatives or even know older people who might not be able to get this message or might not be able to check themselves, take a few minutes to talk to them about their locks, especially if they live in older properties or have lived in the same one for years. Remember, the locksmithing industry recommends that you change your locks every five years anyway as often keys go missing, or accidentally get kept by someone you might have given access to your property etc.  

Burglary is an awful crime that leaves one with feelings of violation, but the nightmare is much worse if you find the insurance company will not pay up due to invalid locks. Be wary of the requirement that states you must have a five lever mortice lock. This does not mean the hooks and bolts on a upvc door – it means the ‘Chubb’ type lock on a wooden door. These locks come in two, three and five lever configurations. Only a five lever will satisfy the insurance and anything less is easy pickings for the intruder.

Should you have any questions regarding the above, please do not hesitate to get in touch via any of the methods on my contact page.

Thanks for reading.

 

admin January 18, 2017

Burglary prevention / Burlaries in North Norfolk / Crime prevention / insurance standard locks / kite marked locks /

Specialist burglars

Is your property a potential target for specialist burglars?

Make your property more secure

I was saddened this week to be called out to a remote farmhouse in Norfolk that had been attacked by a particular sort of criminal. The property, over 400 yards from it’s nearest neighbour, is a second home for a couple who only use it for a couple of nights each week. The thieves could tell the property was empty and broke in, stealing antique furniture. To make matters worse, they repeated the process a few days later, going back for bigger items they had obviously checked out on the first break in.

A number of factors made this break in possible: Firstly, it was a remote property, with out buildings that shielded any lights the burglars used from the neighbours, who would have had no reason to suspect anything was going on, even if they did see any lights from a distance of four football pitches away. Secondly, the locks were inadequate; Three of the four doors were not up to BS3621 standard, and there were no window locks. The burglars gained access through a window. Although hidden, one of the door keys was in an obvious hiding place and thus it was easy for the intruders to exit the house with their ill-gotten gains and use the same key to let themselves back in on their second visit. Thirdly there was no alarm/CCTV in place or any visible deterrent.

If your property is in any way cut off from the main view of other properties, it is a potential target. If your property is unattended for periods of time, even just a few days a week,  it is an increased potential target. Holiday homes and lets are a particularly vulnerable.

So what can you do?  . . . . .  You can improve your security with simple measures; –

  • Start with the correct locks. All final exit doors should have a kite mark. UPVC multipoint doors are no good if they just have a standard locking barrel – these take less than a minute to bypass.
  • Have window locks installed. Better still if they are obvious from the outside. Burglars don’t want to smash windows – the chance of a cut leaves DNA evidence.
  • Bright sensor controlled lights are fantastic. Especially when visible to the neighbours.
  • Indoor timer controlled lights are great as well.
  • Get to know your close neighbours, if possible, and get them used to the times you are away. People notice car engines in remote areas and are more likely to look when bright lights come on.
  • Alarms and CCTV can now be made to suit most budgets. With internet linkage, they can now also message you direct with alarm and send you pictures in real time with CCTV. The burglars know this and it’s no longer the case where they can remove the recorder to erase their images. They know the pictures have been sent to you and you are contacting the police. They will steer clear of properties that are protected.
  • If you have a holiday let, you could change the locks at the end of the high season. This cost comes within your allowable expenses so there is no reason not to. Any of your guests can get a copy of your keys (unless your locks are very high spec) and then use the copies whenever they like. You might only have a TV and music centre in the property, but what if they break in when your current guests are out for the day? Despite any notice that disregards your responsibility for the safety of their belongings, how would you feel?  At least if your locks are changed yearly, your suspect list goes down.

Rural Norfolk may not have high levels of social problems that give rise to the opportunist burglars, but we do have properties that are better targets for the specialists. A security check costs nothing and could save you your prized possessions. And despite the material loss, most burglary victims say they never get over the violation of a stranger entering their home and going through their personal belongings.

Don’t be a victim. Check your locks today and if you have any doubts, call us for confidential advice.

Thanks for reading.

AC Locksmit

admin January 14, 2015

Crime prevention / Specialist burglars /

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 /

Security Chains

 

Having recently read the local crime report, I see that distraction burglaries have started up again. This is where someone comes to your front door, with some excuse to keep you talking. They might be selling something, or posing as a charity worker, or one of many other things that can be used to keep your attention.

While they have you listening to them at the front door, their partner in crime is in the back looking for anything of value that can be stolen. This is a great time of year for it as many of us have our back doors wide open in the heat to allow cool air through the house. It’s almost too easy for them, especially as they prey more on the elderly and vulnerable.

Many people have security chains on their front doors so they can see either the face, or the credentials, of the person they might be potentially letting into their home, but how many of us put a chain on the back door as well?  It would take a second or two to ensure the security chain was on your back door (if you had one fitted), before going to see who your unannounced visitor was and if it was a hoax, then the potential back door burglar would not be able enter without making a huge racket and thus, alerting you to their presence.

Alternatively, you may be the sort of person who likes an afternoon nap in our current hot weather. A security chain on the back door allows you to still let the cooler air in and keeps the opportunist out.

 AC Locksmiths Norfolk can come and fit a security chain in less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea. (Although we always say “yes” when one is offered.)  We can also talk to you about all your security needs and help make sure the opportunist thief moves on elsewhere.  We will also be sympathetic to financial constraints and will endeavour to make recommendations with various options to suit all budgets. 

 Thanks for reading!

admin August 6, 2013

Crime prevention /