Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

It's Home security week starting August the 27th!
This is the web page with more info!:smile:
http://www.homesecurityweek.co.uk
My family have been burgled twice and I would'nt wish it on anyone! So please just take a few minutes to check it out and hopefuly it will never happen to you!!!!

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

It might help others if those that have been burgled told others on here how it happened so we could possibly avoid it ourselves.

I was burgled about 15 years ago when I lived in Burnley ( well what do you expect ). The back door had a bullseye type window high ish in the middle. They smashed it and the key was left in the back of the door. I was in the house asleep at the time and only realised when I came down stairs in the morning and the back door was open. A few things were taken.

NEVER leave a key in reach of a letterbox or window like I did. Burglers use fishing rods etc to get keys.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

well guess what ,,we lived in burnley too.,we lived on glenview rd ,near the summit,we got broke into one afternoon while we were on holiday.they were disturbed and only took the tele etc ,,then about 6weeks later we were robbed again.by the same scumbags,, they knew that we had probbably claimed for a new tele etc,this time they must have spent hours ,they went through everything..but the thing that hurt most is the fact that they took a locket my late mum had given me for my 21st,it wasent worth much ,but it meant everything to me.they were iventualy caught and 1 yobbo got 9 months and the other a caution..
we were secure but the scum had removed a back window with the frame entact..
then i started looking at neighbours with suspition wondering if it was them,,
thing is it makes you paranoid as well as angry ..

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Did they just take the glass out without damaging the frame. I am guessing you had plastic window frames.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

not sure now.. i think it was wood.. we were told if someone realy wants to get in they can get in ,,,, makes you wonder .....

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

its very difficult to stop a determind burglar,especially if they are after the next FIX,my sister went on holiday with hubby years ago,came home and the living room was empty,even took the carpet, they had security locks on doors and windows.and were devastated on return, the main problem to me is sentences are no-way severe enough these days,wont stop the determind ones but it keeps the SCUM off the street longer.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

You have to make your house look harder to break into than the one next door. Most burglers will move on to another house if yours looks harder to get into. Window locks, house alarms etc are a deterent.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Get a big noisy dog....... I once had a young male intruder climbing over my back wall. I was in the kitchen and spotted him through the window. I opened the back door and let the dog after him. Believe me a Bull Terrier crossbreed with hackles up and teeth barred coming after you is not a pretty sight. The guy practically left skidmarks as he threw himself back over the wall and ran for it...:D

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

I was burgled years ago, they'd got in by damaging a window frame with a screw driver then lifting the window latch, we didn't have locks on, and had left a set of keys in the house they took everything, I was suspicious of everyone for ages after, its the worst feeling ever.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

wooden frames get drilled and a screwdriver pushed in or fish wire used to lift or pull side handles, esp the old ones with the spiral on, and to lift the bottom stay, always usee window locks and use them. Single glazed windows can be cut with a cicrcle glass cutter, very james bond but easy to do. Double glazed windows used to be fitted from outside at one time, but now tend to fitted from inside. If I can get the glass out from outside so can a burglar, You should think about getting them bonded in or replaced with ones fitted from inside. Pvc windows are hard to lever open with a screw driver, wooden are a lot easier, esp if no one is near to hear. Back doors are often wooden, with a single mortice lock, best thing to do is replace it with a multi point locking pvc with no glazing, if not make sure its not got a thin panel in the bottom thats often only held in with panel pins, these are a council houses norm. Also fit a five lever mortice, councils only fit three and only tend to have 999 different keys. I know of two flats that have the same key, the locks fitted 12 months apart. also fit a surface dead lock, about 60 quid, make sure its a good one that you can't push the latch back with a credit card once its been closed, it should have a thin second latch as well as the main, once the door is closed that bits gets pushed in by the door frame and stops the main bolt being puched in with a credit card, you should also be able to lock it with a key when you go out rather than just pulling closed, a stick can be pushed through the letter box or even an arm and the lever pushed up. Don't just rely on the surface latch though no matter how good or expensive fit the mortice too, the cylinder on a surface latch which most people call a yale is easy to extract with the right tools. as said above never leave a key in the door on a string by the door hidden outside, they know all the places to look, use fish rods wires, or even get their hand through letter boxes. You could also fit hinge bolts and rack bolts, door viewer and door chain.
Think, if you lost your keys, how would you get in.
Usual other stuff you should do, security lighting, dusk to dawn sensor or a pir to switch it on when someone aproaches. A good burglar alarm with auto dialler to call you if it goes off. gravel is good for paths, it's noisey to walk on, thorn pushes by fences and trellis on top of fences can be good, they want a nice easy escape root with the goods.
CCTV can be fitted, but needs good light at night esp if its coloured, a bw camera or day/night camera that changes to bw at night or low light level camera is best.
You should not have a cctv camera monitoring public places, theres a whole list of laws and regulations that you'd have to comply with.
Don't leave car keys on the rack down stairs at night or if you go out, people break in just for car keys nowdays.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Sorry madhatter but must disagree with you there. Wooden windows are stronger against screwdriver attack than plastic. But as you say GOOD window locks should be used on accessable windows.

Also a GOOD wooden door is stronger than a plastic door IMHO
If you want 2 locks on a wooden door? 2 mortice locks are best. And if you know a good locksmith ;) he can key both locks to the same key.

Yale type locks are OK if they suit your needs but do not offer anything like the security of a mortice lock.

A good quality lock may appear a bit more expensive at the time of purchase, but it will pay for itself many times over when the burglars come to visit...

Most people only review there security after a break-in unfortunately :( But as Madhatter says we should look at all aspects regularly....

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

how so? wood gives and splits, plastic which is made of box section doesn't, locks can be split out of wood, screws can be pulled out of wood, the locks in plastic are inside the box sections, and there are at least three bolts, sometimes 5 or more on a good door. wooden panels can be kicked out of wooden doors, panels on plastic tend to be part of the moulding.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Oooo and I wonder who this good locksmith is???? :confused: :confused: ;) :p

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

the reason for the yale type surface lock aswell as the mortice is that a mortice doesn't lock automaticaly. Unless you have a plastic door that is. I see your point though, strength wise a mortice will always be stronger because the lock on the inside is surface mounted and the barrel on the outside is surface mounted so can be pulled out.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

I don't think I've ever seen a good wooden door on a customers house , they all have crappy panels that are about four mm thick around the edge. What you think to the steel doors ?

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Steel doors are very strong but only as good as there fixings to the wall. But they are never going to rival wood or plastic are they???

I agree that people do always go for the cheapest ... But pound for pound wood is 300% better than plastic.......

Harwood red ..... A plastic door is 50mm wide, 1.5mm plastic with lots of fresh air in the middle.. so the screws that look nice from the edge are only holding on to the door by 1.5mm... That will pull out for fun.... I see it every day.

A wooden door is 45mm thick and your screws hold for their full length. If the door is made of hardwood and a good lock with the correct screws... bingo the crook will bounce back..........

And plastic doors have a lot of other weaknesses that wood does not..

Plastic are easy and trendy but strong NEVER................(well £1200 on an Angian door is quite good) ;) But still not a patch on a good lump of wood..

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Errr how come my name got a mention here simon??? I wouldn't and haven't questioned your security authority!!!!! :confused: :rolleyes:

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

SORRY Harwood red.......................... I read the replys too fast and came away thinking you had posted that when it was MADhatter ;)

I must read all post properly before posting :(
I must read all post properly before posting :(
I must read all post properly before posting :(
I must read all post properly before posting :(
I must read all post properly before posting :(


I will do the rest in private so as not to bore you all ;)
I must read all post properly before posting :(

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Glad you thought I might have the knowledge to actually post something along the lines that madhatter has posted.

Me... I get key, put in lock, turn and either open or lock it!!! That's about as clever I get as far as securing my door!!

Although have been burgled twice and since put in extra security including alarm and have had no trouble since. Would like to point out that they did try to get through the back WOODEN door but were unsuccessful (double mortice lock you see!!) so they knackered the only wooden windows I had left in the property and literally took the whole frame out!

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

My only worry is how safe my back door is........and I can confidently say......my Back door is as safe as houses. It's not wooden,but,it's damn well safe.;) :D

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

But the question is if it's as safe as houses... how safe are those houses really???? :confused: :rolleyes:

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Well I don't agree, If the doors solid then the frame is usually soft rubbish that splits. Once the doors closed and its locked how are the screws going to pull out. boot hell out of a plastic door and it just bounces back, do the same to wood and somethin will split.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

If those houses are as safe as my back door......they are very..very safe:D :D :rolleyes: ;)

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

yes slinky i'm sure it is, can I have a key?

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

No............no-one gets the key to my back door:mad:

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Well we will just have to disagree.... But my job is to make things secure and my doors are wood :)

When I get called out to a lock-out and it is a wooden door with a good mortice lock...It is Not easy and usually takes 5-10 minutes.......When It is a upvc door I love it because it is ALWAYS easy and takes 2mins. Now fair enough that is not the same way that JO BURGLAR gets in... But what I know about opening mortice locks, I doubt any thief that is not driving a bentley knows :) BUT many JO BURGLARS know the weaknesses to plastic doors :(:(

I just a few days ago had the need to BREAK in to someones house for health reasons...Lock picking was not an option....After 15mins of serious kicking, sledge hammering, crow barring and a pick axe we failed..........So due to the rush we went through the glass...

The door was a hardwood door with one BS3621 deadlock and a softwood frame....... And we were REALLY trying someones life was at stake....

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Well I dont need a key Slinky ;)

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: THATS SCARY:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

So did the door have a nice Afro??:D :D :p

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Well explain how the plastic is so weak, but I don't think it's a good idea to post it in here I think we've said too much as it, we'll prob get a load of chavs reading up on how to do it which defeats the object of the thread.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

ha, simon your typings nearly as bad as my spelling

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

I cant believe I put that :)(i didnt) It was painted green and orange and had a spliff hanging out of the letterbox.......and a huge door handle

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

WOW, slinks you are on the ball, only just got that one and now can't stop giggling :D :not_ripe:

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Enjoyed reading this and got a good giggle. I have a solid wood front door with 5 point mortice which is that heavy the kids struggle with it. My verandrah one is the same set up but plastic. A point to note for the wooden one is that when the police were trying to break into a suspected drug suppliers house with the same kind of door they struggled the same with the verandrah door so I would say that "judging a book by its cover" could aply here.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Before anyone askes the police had to go in through a window which I believe was hillariuos to those watching. :D

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Interesting spuggie

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

I still have a little chuckle when I think of Simon trying to kick that door down. After charging 25 feet and kicking it failed so did the sledgehammer. Crowbar just split the frame. Even after all that hammering I would not want to try and break in again. We think the dado rail screwed to the wall between the outside door and inside door was preventing the frame from splitting.

Have a look on a plastic door what actually locks it. Most have a few locking points up the frame. These are usually nasty little metal brackets that would fail without that much effort. I know how to break into plastic doors, it is amazing easy and have seen the end result. I could make the equipment required in under an hour.

I have 2 wooden doors. If I had plastic I would definately get Simon to do what is required to make them secure. I have been broken into before and it is not nice. It's not the things that are taken, thats what insurance is for. It's seeing the look on your wife's face when she hears a bang and thinks its happening again that makes you want to secure your home.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Still not convinced, whats the difference between a multi point lock on a plastic door and a single mortice on a wooden door? how can the multi point lock possibly be less secure, how can the plastic split?. whats the difference between a multipoint lock on a wooden door and a multi point lock on a pvc door.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

You think it was the dado rail, so it wasnt the wooden door then? if it was a plastic door with the same dado rail you'd have got in easy would you ?

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Madhatter........... You have already stated that it would not be wise to highlight the weakness of 100,000's of doors in this country on a public website.... If you dont believe me then sorry.. If you have a plastic door and want me to come and break-in just YELL :)

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

My neighbour is replacing his damaged door with a plastic one, and regardless of how many locking points, if the situation occurs again I will be in in less than a minute.....NO damage :)

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

no damage at all, this is with a door that has a frame screwed to the the bricks, a door with hinges and five point locking fixing it in the frame, and a euro cylinder, the handle locks the locking points open, the cylinder locks the handle. the only way to release it is dissable the cylinder, and you can do that with no damage what so ever.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

I know of a weakness, but that weakness would be the same if that locking system were fitted in a wooden door, and as the wooden door will break easier than a pvc door I stand by my opinion that a pvc door is moor secure. I don't have a pvc door and would never have one if i had a choice, or pvc windows, I dont like them, never have, never will, but I believe they are more secure.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Madhatter I think you are trying to find out how to break in to plastic doors. I get the feeling simon won't be telling anyone how to do it, don't you? I know because I assisted him with a rather funny test regarding plastic doors. I will also say that for less than the excess on your insurance policy your plastic door could be secured.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

I was thinking the same Neil :)

Madhatter I have a spare set of lock picks if ya want e'm :p:p:p

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

And after a few meetings with crime prevention officers from the police... they decided not to run a newspaper campaign on it......

But if you are worried I will call round to any geniune persons home and explain for free :) ......NO need to worry... but it is better to know ;)

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Yes I am, so that I can advise people what to do, to stop it. I haven't got a plastic door, I've got a hollow egg box door with the hardboard coming off, thats the council for you and i can't change it. I know about the weekness with euro barrels, but you said with no damage what so ever. All the knowledge I have has been picked up over the years from people who break in, who like to brag (easy to make them think your as dodgy as them, just real a few other ways of getting in and they take the bait) from people who have been broken in to, and from people who's locks are their job like you simon. I'm an electrician by trade, I fit cctv but people ask what else they need to do.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Remind them to change the tape :D Yes i know about hard disk recorders but so many CCTV set ups are a waste of time because people forget to change the tape. Well that and the utterly useless camera's people fit/have fitted that you could not recognise your own family 10 feet from the camera.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

how very true

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Did anyone see the article in the Mail this weekend about UPVC doors and the weekness previously discussed in this thread ???

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Simon you know I can't read

What did it say.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

I am worried.:D

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

SO am I...............

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

"But if you are worried I will call round to any genuine persons home and explain for free"

I'll take you up on that offer Simon, when you coming down?.

Seriously I wish you'd explain. Have you got a link to the article?

I had to sort out the lock fitted to the old dears door down stairs, she got robbed, the police called age concern, who came out and looked at her door, and yes she needed a new latch and a mortise fitting, as the council latch could be pushed back with anything. She waited and waited and eventually she phoned only to get told that they were waiting for her!. In the mean time the council decided to fit new kitchens, propping the security ( lol) door open, and leaving her front door open. I came in one day to find her sitting there with both doors open and the workmen gone, they'd gone and not told her they'd left. Anyway age concern come and fit a new mortise, and latch, but the latch wont deadlock from outside, the key turns but the key wont come out. I had to sort it. my point being that old people still aren’t treated right even when they're robbed and ask for help.

Last week, my van got keyed along with 6 other vehicles Inc a Porsche and a range rover, not just keyed- but keyed Z. one was zigzagged all the way across the bonnet twice down the side and across the boot on two consecutive nights.
not helped by only two street lights being in the street. I’ve got six son floods i could put up on the blocks but the council won’t let me. So again the council is blocking sensible security.

If I’m outside and I see them I have to get to a land line in one of the flats to call the police because on the mobile I get routed to Birmingham who tell me to call the local police on the local number and wait in the Q.

What we need is a whipping post in the middle of town, so when they get caught they can be publicly whipped, then perhaps it will frighten the others out of doing it.

Re: Home security week!! How secure is your home?
 

Yes punishment onto them who get cought for these crimes, they dont realise what efects they have on poor inocent people who get burgled.
bring back some of the old punishments were they get punished in public, humiliate them I say.