Home Security, door locks, mortice locks, dead bolts

The weakest point of any house is usually the windows, with doors coming in as the second weakest point of entry for a burglar or opportunist thief. Leaving an external door unlocked is the most easist and dangerous thing to do around your house. Having decent, high quality locks and bolts on your door can deter all opportunist thieves and some determined burglars. I have been speaking to an ex-burglar, on matters of home security, he has given me advice, after all, who is better to ask on home security than a man who has spent time trying to get through the security you install, and succeeding easily according to "Mr X", as I will call him.

First thing, says Mr.X, if you have a back door which it a typical cheap half plywood half opaque glass, get rid of it, these doors are very easy to get through, the burglar will just kick through the ply wood and he is in your house with seconds. Have a good solid door fitted, it need not be as good looking as your front door, but it does need to be strong, preferably one made of hardwood or the double glazed kind, and if there is glass in the door, have it opaque and not totally see through. The front doors are usually stronger anyway, have a spy hole fitted so you can see who is standing outside your door properly.

Remember, the cheaper the lock, the easier it probably is to pick or to break when the door is forced. There are many two and three lever mortise locks available quite cheaply, but do not use these on your external doors, as most semi professional burglars have some lock picking experience and can easily unlock cheap locks. You should use a five lever mortise lock at the least, these are stronger and harder for a burglar to pick, which means he may have to spend more time outside your house trying to get in, the longer he spends outside, the more chance he has of being seen, and the burglar does not want to be seen. So fit a five lever mortice lock, and if you live in flats, then consider fitting two, the harder it is for the thief to get in, the more he will leave you alone. Mortise locks can come with or without the door handle.

The cylinder lock on the door is possibly the most important, as most people only shut the door when leaving or entering the house, and this lock just keeps the door closed, some of the chubb range of cylinderlocks are very good and not that easy to pick, so again, install a decent one, your supplier will be able to tell you what types of locks will fit which doors, and which one can offer the best standards. Never just settle for a cheap lock because you think the other ones are to expensive, they are expensive for a reason, they are better, then can help deter the burglar, they will protect your belongings, and you whilst you are asleep.

Hinge bolts are the bolts that are attached to the door on the hinge side, and they protrude out about 3 cm, and when the door is closed properly, this 3cm of steel enters the door frame and helps prevent the door from being forced open, use these on the back door as well, very inexpensive but worth the money.

The internet is the best place to familiarise yourself with all the different locks available, and you can get them delivered cheaper than if you were to buy them in a local store. If you are still not sure on either which lock to fit or how to fit mortise locks, then call in a locksmith, he will fit your locks for you and can advise you on which locks may best suit the type of door you have.

For internal doors, if you wish to put a lock on these, you could use the cheaper two or three lever mortise locks, because the internal doors are quite weak, and easily smashed through, but it will slow the burglar down and he would have to make more noise getting through them.