Locking Up Home Security

With summer vacation over, the family back to their busy routines and daylight hours growing shorter, September seems a good time to review home safety.

When it comes to home break-ins, it is estimated up to 80 per cent of thieves gain entry through a door. Strong doorways will always be one of the best defences against intruders – and this means assessing the door and lock quality at every entrance point, including the inner garage door, basement, and patio doors.

“Break and enter thieves are usually on the look out for easy target homes,” says Mark Wallace, Canadian marketing manager for Weiser Lock, “and modern homes that are built with standard issue fixtures, fall right into this category. These homes are bought and sold with hollow doors – and that means the only thing that stands between a thief and your belongings is two thin sheets of plywood sandwiching a honeycomb frame.”

In fact, according to Toronto Police Services, criminals know the differences between locks and door styles and look for the ones that are easiest to break into.

Here are a few important tips for homeowners to consider when it comes to door security:

The Doors

• Replace hollow doors with solid wood or metal doors at every entry point.
• Upgrade door strike plates. Tiny, half-inch screws secure most plates and one good kick can tear them off. Upgrade to a four screw, heavy-duty strike plate with 3-inch screws.
• Choose doors without a window and with a 180-degree peephole.
• Opt for a mailbox versus a mail slot.
• On patio sliding doors use secondary blocking devices and anti-lifting devices such as through-the-door pins.

The Locks

• Change the locks after purchasing a house, even a new one.
• Insist that family members report if they lose a key.
• Replace standard fixtures with premium deadbolt locks containing a one-inch throw bolt.

Source: Homeservice Club