Between 60 and 70% of burglars gain access to your property using your front door. Unbelievably around 20% of the time the door is unlocked and the burglar literally just walks through the door. In this article we will discuss the different types of doors commonly seen on the average British home there security weaknesses. We will follow this up with a part 2 which will go into more detail about the techniques criminals use to bypass your doors security and what you can do to protect your home.
Firstly we will examine the typical types of doors seen on the average home. These can be split into a number of categories. These are as follows
UPVC Doors
Unplasticised Poly Vinyl Chloride or more commonly known as UPVC is a relatively new material used heavily in europe and america and has become very popular for a number of reasons.
- Costs – UPVC tends to be considerably cheaper when compared to wooden and composite doors, while also providing additional benefits.
- Durability – UPVC is resistant to corrosion, fading, and rotting.
- Fire Safety – Unlike wooden doors UPVC is fire resistant.
- Energy Efficiency – UPVC is widely known for its insulating properties, both heat and sound insulation.
- High Security – UPVC doors come as standard with a Multi point locking system. The multi point locking system is usually operated by a euro cylinder, this type of door, when used properly is highly secure.
Wooden Doors
Wooden doors used to be seen up and down the UK on every door but with the invention of cheaper UPVC and more durable Composite doors, the day of the wooden door has come to an end. Wooden doors tend to be more expensive, less durable, and have a lower life expectancy compared to UPVC or Composite doors. Wooden doors are typically fitted with a latch and a deadlock.
Composite Doors
Composite doors are made using a number of materials which are glued together and then combined under high pressure. Composite doors are very similar to UPVC in almost every way but tend to be more durable and come in a number of designs. Composite doors tend to be more extensive than UPVC. Security wise Composite and UPVC are very similar and like UPVC, composite doors come with a multi point locking system as standard. Now we have examined the types of doors typically fitted to the average home we can examine the types of locks fitted to these doors and how criminals bypass them.
Types of Locks
In the UK we typically have three types of doors: Wooden, UPVC and Composite. The three doors typically use three types of locks.
- Euro Cylinders – Commonly Used on – UPVC Doors & Composite Doors, Vulnerable to – Lock Snapping, Lock Picking, Lock Bumping, Hooking, Fishing, Door Popping
- Night Latch – Commonly Used on – Wooden Doors, Vulnerable to – Lock Picking, Lock Bumping, Brute Force, Sliding
- Mortice Lock – Commonly Used on – Wooden Doors, Vulnerable to – Lock Picking, Lock Bumping, Brute Force, Sliding
We have examined the types of doors typically seen on the average home as well as the lock systems typically fitted to each door. In our next article we will examine the tactics used by criminals to bypass your door and what you can do to keep the burglar out.
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