Euro Profile Cylinder locks not safe

iamcornholio

The key to good marketing ...... create a plausible situation, include an element of fear - "it could happen to me", add some hysteria, and sprinkle a little bit of urban myth. Ta...Da everyone wants one.

True, euro profiles snap easily, but the noise and time it takes means that this method is not something to be worried about. Plus most chav druggies don't tend to carry a large hammer and chisel with them. Would you really carry the tools around, mess about at the front door unscrewing the levers and then hammer away, or would you just like to be in and out in no time through the open (or broken/removed) window? Crime stats point to the latter.

The Police frequently recommend "upgrading locks" and yet you just ask them how many properties were entered due to insecure locks and they scratch their heads or can't/wont give an answer. The answer is none or nil. The weakest points are frames, the actual door or window, and panels/glass. And despite YouTube and alarmist locksmiths, the use of bump keys has not yet overtaken the use of lollypop sticks as a means of access

latecomer

When I was a kid we were burgaled twice - once they forced the UPVC door frame with a crowbar, second time they simply threw a lump of concrete through the dining room window. Advice we received from the police was to upgrade the locks......

eco-friendly_2

....and BRICK up the windows!

cybergibbons

We have a very odd attitude to security in this country. My front door has about £300 of hardware holding it shut. It would take a locksmith a fair amount of time to open all the locks (if they were all locked). But you can just smash a window a metre away and get through.

Snapping isn't a big issue. It's a forceful, noisy process that requires a certain degree of skill (mainly in identifying which locks are vulnerable). It is quite common in London, but pales into insignificance against other entry methods.

When it comes down to it, what you want to prevent against is someone gaining entry without leaving an obvious trace. It's pretty hard to identify bumping or picking without a microscope. Both techniques are very uncommon though.

The easiest way to prevent against it is to ensure that all doors can be secured from the inside only (by bolt, preferably), bar the final exit door. The final exit door should have a good quality cylinder lock (preferably pin-in-pin rather than conventional pin tumbler) as well as a BS standard 5 lever mortice lock.

moon_man_3

without advertising anyone's lock!!

west yorkshire police state that at least 20% of all burglaries use the snapping method (moving up very quickly estimates are now at 30%) you can find this yourself on the west yorksire police site

As for it requiring skill or being noisy try doing it yourself (irwin molegrips from screwfix are all you need)

Interestingly the police believe the growth is a lot to do with car theft, whereby the thief gains easy entry to your house to get your car keys!

this is a real problem and it is quick, easy and growing!

moonrakerz

moon_man wrote: »

west yorkshire police state that at least 20% of all burglaries use the snapping method (moving up very quickly estimates are now at 30%)

Interestingly the police believe the growth is a lot to do with car theft, whereby the thief gains easy entry to your house to get your car keys!

...........so if I leave my car keys on a hook outside of the front door that should reduce the chances of my house being burgled quite considerably !!

a-ztech

stumbled across this topic recently...does make you wonder. Only thing is how long would the fire brigade be delayed in accessing a property with brilliant security. I can handle stuff getting nicked which can be replaced but fire is scary.

Also, this thread wont die.

Imp

a-ztech wrote: »

stumbled across this topic recently...does make you wonder. Only thing is how long would the fire brigade be delayed in accessing a property with brilliant security. I can handle stuff getting nicked which can be replaced but fire is scary.

Also, this thread wont die.

If you want to stop a fireman armed with an axe or sledge hammer, you will need to look at adding steel reinforcement to the door and the frame. If an inward opening door is forced, it tends to be the frame or door that gives in, rather than the lock.

iamcornholio

a-ztech wrote: »

Only thing is how long would the fire brigade be delayed in accessing a property with brilliant security.

In all but the most serious house/flat fires, the fire service actually do more damage accessing fires than gets caused by the fire itself

They love bashing down doors in flats - even when they have copies of keys sitting on their dashboard

a1locksmiths_llanelli

Hi, as long as you have a euro cylinder lock that is atleast 5mm in set into the handle and you have an anti snap cylinder you will be fine.
Now although the lock states anti snap it will snap but not all the way through thus enabling you to still use your key.

Locksmiths like my self do come acrross these locks on a daily basis, i am not going to say how to over come them but a trademan can defeat this kind of lock in know time.

Now most Euro Cylinders are terrible and are fitted by window and door companys stateing that they are safe.

Invest in a good Anti Snap Cylinder and you should be fine.