Door Locks: A Burglar’s Perspective
A door provides a quick and easy way for a burglar to break into your home. However, a good high-quality lock is a great and effective deterrent. After being interviewed, many intruders said that when they saw quality deadbolt locks, they selected another target and moved onto another house.
A study conducted by the California Crime Technological Research Foundation shows that the most common techniques used by burglars to break into single-family homes are (listed from most-often used to least-often used):
32.00% Through unlocked window or door
26.64% Forced entry by impacts
24.02% Prying or jimmying
6.79% Use of pass key or picking the lock
5.10% Entry attempted, but failed
5.45% Other or unknown
A burglar has many methods to break into a home. Burglars like doors that:
• Are left unlocked
• Can be kicked in
• Have locks that can be picked
• Have locks that can be hammered until they fall off
• Can be pried open
• Have frames can be spread apart with a spreader bar
• Have locks can be “drilled out” using a power drill
• Have locks can be pried off with pipe wrenches or pliers
• Have glass panes in, or beside doors, that can be can be broken so the intruder can reach in and unlock the locked door
And sometimes thieves can obtain a copy of the house key from an acquaintance.
The intruder will find and select a door that looks the easiest to break into, offering the smallest chance of being seen and caught. Many times intruders get the opportunity to hide from view in the midst of breaking and entering through doors going into the garage or from an attached garage into the house. Extra caution and more planning should go into the security of these areas.
Here are a few tips on how to protect your home from dangerous intruders and burglars:
Install locks with deadbolts
In residential construction, there are essentially two types of bolts used on exterior doors: latch bolts and deadbolts. Deadbolts are superior to latch bolts. However, some locks combine the two bolts into one, which offer even greater protection.
Install locks with an ANSI Grade 1 classification
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a grading system that measures the security and durability of door locks. The ANSI has standards, developed and maintained by The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association Inc. (BHMA), that compares and measures the security and durability performance of door locks.
But not all Grade 1 locks are equal. Various different types of door locks are tested differently under ANSI standards. However, the grade designation system is the same.
Install locks with key control
Key control is not as complicated as it sounds. It is simply controlling who has copies of the keys to your home. Many door keys can be copied at a local hardware or retail store – even here at Pop-A-Lock Jacksonville. However, many manufacturers now offer locks using keys that cannot be copied except by particular locksmiths or only by the manufacturer themselves.
Key control can help protect your from:
• In-home help who have been fired or quit, but they made their own copy of your house key.
• In-home help may have acquaintances who burglarize homes, and who might try to acquire a key through them.
• Mechanics who may try to make duplicates of your house key while working on your car.
Key control may require extra effort, such as a letter to the lock manufacturer or a trip to the locksmith to get a key made. However, the safety of your loved ones and belongings far outweigh the factor of inconvenience.
Call Pop-A-Lock Jacksonville at 904-354-8566 or visit us on the web at www.popalockofjacksonville.com to see how can be help you today!
