Peam
Jedi Council Member
I've just found out about a major security flaw with the locks on literally millions of upvc double glazed doors in millions of homes where burglars can easily get into your home in seconds.
The day before yesterday someone got into my son and daughter in-law's home while he was at work. At the time, this was about 10am, it was my daughter in law's day off and she was still upstairs having a lie-in. She said she heard someone moving about downstairs and was understandably scared stiff.
Anyway, the burglar might have heard her upstairs, or he might have just been casing the place to see what stuff they had in order to come back another time, because although some stuff was a bit out of place as though he was just nosing around, he left without taking anything, but he left the door unlocked. He didn't go upstairs, so he might have heard a noise.
The strange thing was that he hadn't actually broken anything to get in. So did he have a key?
So when my son got home he found a big locksmith advert in the phone book who came out within a couple of hours to fit a new lock to the upvc door. I went round as he was doing it and I couldn't believe how easy and quick it is to change. Only one screw to take out in the side of the door, put the key in, twist it to about 20 degrees from vertical, and the lock barrel comes straight out. Slip the new lock in and put the screw back in. Two minutes max! Not bad work for £124.
Mind you, they do 24 hour call out, and when you believe your door may be compromised you don't feel so safe and comfortable going to bed or leaving the house empty do you.
As we were talking he said he was a locksmith from another town, but did some call-out jobs for the national company my son had called. I asked him if it would have been cheaper to have called him direct instead of via the advert and he said yes £45 plus the new lock, never phone anything from a big advert as it's likely to be national and they'll likely just subcontract to a local firm anyway. He also mentioned how an increasing number of break-ins are being done by either snapping the lock or or 'bumping' it.
So, intrigued, I thought I'd try to find out more about it. They are called euro lock cylinders fitted to all upvc doors. And it seems as though as word gets round to more and more burglars, they may as well be made of chocolate.
http://www.abs-secure.co.uk/press1.asp
Yeah, notice how the police kept it quiet. Don't want to warn the public of the danger now do we, no because there's nothing we can do about it anyway!
_http://www.handlestore.com/antibump.php
Maybe the reason the police are finally warning of the danger is because lock manufacturers are now coming up with viable solutions to the problem of 'snapping' and 'bumping'.
FAQ's
http://www.snaplocks.co.uk/page.php?xPage=help-faq&jssCart=8a3d752189a4e8abc64551eee262eee2
There's a patented lock here http://www.abs-secure.co.uk/thesolution.asp called the Avocet ABS which is claimed to have “snap secure”, and “bump resistant technology to resist bumping attacks” and other stuff. I can't find any bad reviews about it, and there's good reviews about them everywhere, even from the west yorkshire police.
There's a number of websites selling them, they are so easy to fit, and finding a local locksmiths shop selling them for £34.50 each, and because this replacement lock was just another burglar's delight, he's got two ABS's to replace both doors, and he's putting the cost of the call-out job down to experience or lack thereof.
The locksmith shop said they are the most secure door euro lock currently on the market and he can barely keep up with demand.
I'm going to get two as well ASAP !
It might be a good idea to check your doors.
The day before yesterday someone got into my son and daughter in-law's home while he was at work. At the time, this was about 10am, it was my daughter in law's day off and she was still upstairs having a lie-in. She said she heard someone moving about downstairs and was understandably scared stiff.
Anyway, the burglar might have heard her upstairs, or he might have just been casing the place to see what stuff they had in order to come back another time, because although some stuff was a bit out of place as though he was just nosing around, he left without taking anything, but he left the door unlocked. He didn't go upstairs, so he might have heard a noise.
The strange thing was that he hadn't actually broken anything to get in. So did he have a key?
So when my son got home he found a big locksmith advert in the phone book who came out within a couple of hours to fit a new lock to the upvc door. I went round as he was doing it and I couldn't believe how easy and quick it is to change. Only one screw to take out in the side of the door, put the key in, twist it to about 20 degrees from vertical, and the lock barrel comes straight out. Slip the new lock in and put the screw back in. Two minutes max! Not bad work for £124.
Mind you, they do 24 hour call out, and when you believe your door may be compromised you don't feel so safe and comfortable going to bed or leaving the house empty do you.
As we were talking he said he was a locksmith from another town, but did some call-out jobs for the national company my son had called. I asked him if it would have been cheaper to have called him direct instead of via the advert and he said yes £45 plus the new lock, never phone anything from a big advert as it's likely to be national and they'll likely just subcontract to a local firm anyway. He also mentioned how an increasing number of break-ins are being done by either snapping the lock or or 'bumping' it.
So, intrigued, I thought I'd try to find out more about it. They are called euro lock cylinders fitted to all upvc doors. And it seems as though as word gets round to more and more burglars, they may as well be made of chocolate.
http://www.abs-secure.co.uk/press1.asp
Yeah, notice how the police kept it quiet. Don't want to warn the public of the danger now do we, no because there's nothing we can do about it anyway!
_http://www.handlestore.com/antibump.php
Maybe the reason the police are finally warning of the danger is because lock manufacturers are now coming up with viable solutions to the problem of 'snapping' and 'bumping'.
FAQ's
http://www.snaplocks.co.uk/page.php?xPage=help-faq&jssCart=8a3d752189a4e8abc64551eee262eee2
There's a patented lock here http://www.abs-secure.co.uk/thesolution.asp called the Avocet ABS which is claimed to have “snap secure”, and “bump resistant technology to resist bumping attacks” and other stuff. I can't find any bad reviews about it, and there's good reviews about them everywhere, even from the west yorkshire police.
There's a number of websites selling them, they are so easy to fit, and finding a local locksmiths shop selling them for £34.50 each, and because this replacement lock was just another burglar's delight, he's got two ABS's to replace both doors, and he's putting the cost of the call-out job down to experience or lack thereof.
The locksmith shop said they are the most secure door euro lock currently on the market and he can barely keep up with demand.
I'm going to get two as well ASAP !
It might be a good idea to check your doors.
I was taking care of him from the window of above until he saw me and run to his home.
Same here, though we do lock doors. We also have a very big Chow-Lab mix that keeps other idiots away.