To secure or not to secure
Alarming as it may seem and we here at Global Door at find it absolutely amazing – we know statistics can be made to say anything, but 15% of the 72% of burglaries which occur through front doors are those where the opportunist burglars simply walk in through an open or unlocked door – something which no one but the householder can do anything about. However, for everyone else who wants to take the opportunity to attempt to protect their home there are a number of helpful tips we could all follow.
It is worth remembering that every time a burglary occurs one of the first reactions of the unfortunate recipient of the crime is to wish they had actually done more to protect their homes – but by then it is to late – so why not act now.
A very good place to start is by reviewing the door security page on our web site – it clearly illustrates the magnitude of the problem we all face.
Forced entry – the most common method used if you do not simply let the burglar walk in as the unfortunate 15% above, then they have to break in and normally there are only three ways that this can be achieved –
By breaking glazed panels
By breaking through the door
By bumping, picking or simply applying brute force to the lock
Let’s start with the glass – a door and side screen like the one below certainly looks good but it also provides the would be with four opportunities (panes of glass) rather than one.
With all the information currently available on the internet it does not take the would be thief very long to discover the easiest and quietest way to break your glass panels. How do you protect your home?
- Install or check the door has laminated glass panels i.e two pieces of glass bonded together with a sheet of laminate between them (same as your car windscreen) it will not shatter and it is harder to break.
- A security film, placed over the interior of your glass panels has a similar affect to Laminated glass holding the shattered sections together – it may not stop the determined thief but it may deter the opportunist.
- The obvious one is of course keep nothing of value within reach of any door or window – “what the eye cannot see the heart ca not grieve for” remove the temptation and you may just avoid the burglary.
The Door – A strong door such as this Doorstop “six panel” from Global Door is a secure door. If your door is a few years old you should maybe be a trifle vigilant and lookout for physical defects, cracks, rot (on timber doors) or plain old wear and tear which can also take its toll on the strength and therefore the security of your door
Things you should possibly be looking for if your doors age is starting to show.
- Doors move therefore their component parts can also move leading a breakdown in the construction one way to check for this is to gently tap the face of the door and listen for any “hollow” sounding spots – there should not be any – if there are the structure of your door may be starting to fail.
- Frames, UPVC or Timber should always be solidly attached to the wall, timber frames may show signs of rot, UPVC frames can in time become brittle and crack, particularly on older doors.
Hinges and any screw fixings can over time work loose, this may not simply be a sign that your door is starting to twist or warp, loose fixings could be detrimental to the structural integrity of your door.
All Doorstop doors from Global Door have accreditation to –
PAS 23 /24 – for Security and weather testing
And they all carry the –
CE Mark confirming that they comply to the essential requirements of the relevant European health, safety and environmental protection legislation
Door locks – come in many shapes and sizes from the deadlocks to modern multi point locking systems but they all have one thing in common – somewhere in their construction will be a part of the locking barrel that can be picked, bumped or worse a keep for the lock bolt that is so weak that it can simply be “kicked” open.
If you are concerned about the strength of your lock easy remedies are –
- Fit a dead bolt they are extremely strong and more resistant to impact and picking.
- Install a cylinder guard around the lock. This will prevent it being unscrewed or wrenched off.
- Consider rim locks, which will automatically lock the door when closed.
All Doorstop doors from Global Door have a Yale YS170 Multi Point Lock as standard a lock that is anti-snap, anti-bump, anti-drill, anti-pick and anti-screw plus it comes with three hook bolts for extra security
Hidden extra’s – what else can you do to increase the security of your front door – it all depends on your finances for the householder with a limited budget additional deterrents could be –
- A Spyhole / front door viewer – you see them before they see you and your door stays shut – these can be either a single unit or built into a door knocker.
- A security chain can buy you the time to slam the door in the face of the unwanted intruder
For those with a larger budget options could also include
- Alarms, surprisingly often dummy alarms or even stickers that say the building is alarmed can also have the same deterrent impact as the real thing .
- Security cameras and CCTV are becoming more and more sophisticated with Apps that you can monitor from your “I”phone
- Security lighting that illuminates not only your front door but the darker hiding places that
Here at GFD HQ home of companies Global Door, Timber Composite Doors, , Fusion Door, Composite Door Prices we care about the safety and security of all of our customers and all of the doors that we sell through the respective companies carry appropriate safety accreditation in line with all legislation standards to ensure that they are secure.
We are also conscious that not every one of our potential customers will purchase a new front door and some will prefer to retain their existing a little longer for those individuals who are looking for locks and security accessories only, we would recommend a visit to the web site of the newest member of the GFD stable of companies Eurosecure ,where you will find all the locks and accessories, information and statistics to assist you in your quest for a safer and more secure home.