How to Guarantee Your Front Door Won’t Get Busted In

Crime statistics released this week have shown that burglary rates in the UK have fallen, mainly due to improvements in home security. This is obviously great news, and it’s encouraging to hear that so many people are taking good home security seriously, but it doesn’t mean that the risk of burglary has gone away.

Unfortunately, burglars are part and parcel of living in a built-up town or city; in fact, burglaries can occur just about anywhere, including tiny hamlets! A recent infographic by price comparison site Tesco Compare revealed that there is, on average, one burglary every 40 seconds. Making sure your home is secure, then, is as important as ever.

A couple of other interesting stats leaped out at us from that infographic. For example, did you know 73% of burglars use doors to enter homes? Or that you are six times more likely to be burgled if you don’t have double-locks or deadlocks on your outside doors? These statistics are quite shocking when you consider that it’s relatively easy to make your front door burglar-proof!

One of the first things you need to consider is whether your door is strong enough to resist being kicked in. If you have a hollow front door, get it changed immediately – these doors are extremely weak and could be busted into by even the weakest of burglars! Generally, you’ll only find these kinds of doors on older homes. The chances are you will have a wood or uPVC door which should be quite strong, although not entirely burglar proof. A well-placed kick or something stronger would still provide enough force to break down the door.

We would recommend anyone particularly worried about home security looks into upgrading to a Rockdoor. These super strong composite doors are designed to withstand even the strongest of kicks and can even stand up to a battering ram! With internal steel mesh to prevent burglars drilling through, secure outer and inner door frames and multipoint locks, Rockdoors really are the top dog when it comes to front door security. They come in a range of colours too, so they look great as well as giving you piece of mind!

Aside from the door itself, there are a couple of other things to consider when making your front door as burglar proof as possible. Check your locks – are they dead locks? Dead locks are locks that can only be moved by a key, unlike inexpensive but less secure spring bolts, which can be moved through exerting force on the bolt itself. If you only have a spring bolt lock, get dead locks installed as soon as possible either as a complement or standalone.

Check your hinges and your door frame. Make sure to tighten any loose screw in your door hinges and check that they are sufficiently deep enough into the door to prevent a burglar from kicking the door off its hinges completely. Your door frame also needs to be secure – it’s worth reinforcing it with metal plates to prevent burglars breaking it and getting through the door that way. Strike plates are important too; these metal plates prevent burglars from wrenching your locks with a crowbar or similar tool. If you don’t think they are sufficiently protecting your locks, get them changed.

If you have windows on your front door, the chances are burglars will target them to get in and open your front door from the inside. Make sure locks can’t be reached from windows and if they can, reinforce your window with meshing. It may not look as attractive, but it will provide you piece of mind.

For more information on home security, including the Rockdoor range, give us a call on 0800 849 4567.

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