Table of Contents
Easy ‘how to’ videos accessible to anyone who wants to burgle your home
We have written many times about the dangers of lock snapping – the process of snapping a lock’s cylinder in order to break into a house – but did you know that anyone can learn how to do it simply by looking on You Tube?
It’s one thing to know the stats about how many break ins involve lock snapping (25%) and how long it takes to do it (less than a minute) but knowing that ANYONE can find a video that shows you how to do it just by searching for lock snapping on You Tube really demonstrates how vulnerable your home could be. We’ve just done it and a ‘how to’ video appeared in the top 5 search results. All the knowledge you need in less than 2 minutes.
The best way to prevent lock snapping is to have anti-snap locks installed. If an intruder tries to snap these locks, the front section will break off but in a pre-determined spot and the door will remain locked. The two standards to look out for are SS312 Sold Secure Diamond rating and TS007:2012 British Kitemark 3 star rating. You can see more advice on anti-snap locks from West Yorkshire Police here.
So, how do you know whether your locks are anti-snap locks?
Unfortunately, it’s not always straightforward to tell whether a lock is anti-snap simply by looking at it in situ. Obviously the only visible part is the end of the cylinder where you insert the key and there are rarely any markings there.
There are a few ways you can try to deduce whether yours are anti-snap or not. If you remove the handle to expose more of the cylinder some will have the 3 star markings which will confirm that they’re anti-snap. If this doesn’t reveal anything, and you’re confident with locks, you could remove the lock as the markings should be evident if you can see the whole lock.
If you don’t fancy dismantling the lock in this way you could make some assumptions. Because anti-snap locks have only been around since about 2007, any locks that have not been changed within the last 10 years would not be anti-snap but by the same token, if they were it doesn’t automatically mean that they are.
You could argue that if you’ve got the same locks you had when you bought the house or have ever given keys to tradespeople or neighbours or have ever lost keys then it would be good practice to get your locks changed anyway. That way you are being proactive with your security, would know for definite that you have the most secure locks for your home and would be able to demonstrate this is the case to both insurers and prospective buyers in the future.
If you are concerned about your locks, and are confident about changing them yourself, you can buy anti-snap locks from our security shop in Wakefield. If you would prefer an MLA approved locksmith to come and do it for you, we can do that too. Simply enquire via our contact page or call us on 0800 612 9799