Is Your Home Secure
How to secure your Home
This guide is not intended to act as a substitute for expert advice, but to complement it. In addition there are a number of institutions that are happy to give the appropriate advice on request.
Insurance companies, manufacturers, locksmiths and trade organisations can all make important contributions, as can the police and fire services.
What is crime and security?
The majority of burglaries and other crimes against buildings are committed by the opportunist. This is someone who will take quick and easy advantage of the opportunities made available, such as a window left open or an obviously unoccupied house.
Because the opportunist commits so many of these crimes, basic security measures can help to prevent them. Even if an intruder is more determined to break in, basic security may at least make the crime more difficult to commit and hopefully discourage the "would be" perpetrator.
What is opportunity?
Top priority for a burglar who intends to break into a building is somewhere where access is easy and requires only the minimum time, noise and effort.
They don't like to be seen - and this means windows and doors at the back of homes, out of sight of the neighbours and passer-by, are particularly vulnerable.
Burglars usually gain access in one of the following ways:
- Through easily accessible doors or windows that have been left open or unlocked.
- By breaking glass panels and opening nearby window latches or doors.
- By forcing doors that offer little resistance to bodily pressure.
- Forcing weak door locks.
- Levering doors and windows open.
Looking at the weaknesses and designing them out can achieve a great deal towards making properties much less vulnerable to the opportunist.
Securing Windows
Just how vulnerable a window is depends on whereabouts it is. Those at the back are particularly at risk because they are usually out of sight. Ground floor windows are also vulnerable because they are easy to get at, as are upstair windows, which can easily be reached from a handy balcony or flat roof. To some extent the value of window security measurers is compromised by breaking the glass.
However, it is comparatively rare for someone to get in through a broken pane. More often the burglar would reach trough and undo the latch. A locked window will, therefore, still be more secure than one that the thief could easily open. Opening windows which pose a security threat should befitted with window locks.
Securing of external doors
Burglars often take advantage of design, manufacturing and installation weakness of door leaves, door frames, hinges, locks and bolts. It is best therefore, that the number of outside doors is kept to a minimum.
Doors and frames should be sufficiently strong and installed in such a way that they are resistant to shoulder charges and kicking. It should also be possible to fit effective security locks and other security measures to both the doors and frames.
Door frames should be securely fixed to the surrounding structure. The depth of the rebate should preferably be a minimum of 18mm and doors should not be less than 44mm thick and constructed of solid core construction.
The maximum width of lock mortises should be 20mm and mortise shields secured by bolting from the inside will help strengthen this section of the door.
The edges of meeting stiles of double doors should be rebated.
Ironmongery
For securing front entrance doors or other doors which are used as a 'final exit', mortise deadlocks, complying with the requirements of BS 3621, are recommended to supplement rim locks.
For rear and side entrance doors not used as a 'final exit' and for doors between garages and homes, mortise sash locks (also complying with BS3621) are recommended.
Letter plates should not be put closer than 400mm to door locks and each door should be fitted with 3 hinges.
Door viewers and chains or door limiters should be fitted to any door that a stranger is likely to use. The spot outside the door should be well lit so callers can be seen at night.
Door limiters and chains should be securely fixed with screws at least 30mm in length and in such a way that they couldn't be dislodged from the outside by manipulation or force. Safety chains should be made from brass or steel and have either forged or wielded links.
Patio Doors
Sliding patio doors are particularly vulnerable even when the are well designed, well made and well maintained. This is because the mechanism is more open to damage.
The main mortise hook bolt should be supplemented by a pair of key-operated locking bolts. These should go through the outer door leaf, at the top and bottom of the meeting stiles of the inner door leaves.
Remember!
In the event of fire or other emergency you are advised to have keys to locked doors and windows readily available to facilitate evacuation. Building Control will normally ask that escape windows are not fitted with locking mechanisms from which the key can be removed. As an alternative to locks, laminated glass could be fitted in windows that are designed so that the slips are located on the inside.
For more information contact:
Omagh District Council, Building Control Department,
The Grange, Mountjoy Road, Omagh, BT79 7BL
Tel: 028 8224 5321 Fax: 028 8224 3888
