Choosing the right door
to secure your property
Your front door is the main
access point to your home. It
makes sense that this is also
the first place burglars and
potential attackers will assess
for vulnerabilities.
Experienced attackers will
know what to look for in a door,
where the weaknesses that
can be taken advantage of lie.
For example, a common
weakness in a uPVC door is
the panels. It is well known that
with force in the right places,
these door panels can be
kicked out, allowing the
attacker to reach in and unlock
the front door. Certain
techniques allow this process
to be done quickly and without
drawing attention, making
uPVC panel doors a massive
vulnerability in home security.
To protect your home and your
belongings as best as you can,
you need to invest in a fully
secure front door. The Secured
by Design scheme can make
choosing a secure door easier.
Only front doors which have
been put through intense
security tests and passed are
allowed to display the Secured
by Design logo. Composite
doors are one of the most
secure options on the market
today. The GRP skin (Glass
Reinforced Plastic) is the main
reason behind this. Unlike
wood doors, composite doors
PAGE 20
resist force - kicking or
attacking a composite door
with a heavy object will not
cause the door to crack, or
even dent. Unlike uPVC doors,
the panels of composite doors
cannot be kicked out. In
addition to the security
provided by the GRP skin,
composite doors come with a
multi-point locking system.
The benefit of such a system is
that the lock holds the
composite door to the frame in
several places, unlike a
standard lock which will usually
hold the front door to the frame
in only one place, allowing for
weak points along the rest of
the door length.
Secured by Design is the
official UK flagship initiative
supporting the principles of
“designing out crime”.
Established in 1989, Secured
by Design (SBD) is owned by
the Association of Chief Police
Officers (ACPO) and is the
corporate title for a group of
national police projects
focusing on the design and
security for new and
refurbished homes,
commercial premises and car
parks as well as the
acknowledgement of quality
security products and crime
prevention projects. The
company operates a licensing
scheme currently including
more than 350 member
companies who are entitled to
use the Secured by Design
logo and promote the term
'Police Preferred Specification'
on products which have
passed the tests specified by
ACPO Secured by Design.
Many burglaries are
opportunist crimes. A burglar
only needs to spot an open
window or an unlocked door or
gate to make their move. Look
at your home or business
through the burglar's eyes. If
you think your security looks
poor, chances are so will a
thief. The good news is that it
doesn't take much to improve
security and put off thieves.
Money spent on realistic
security is a good investment;
it will last a long time, can add
value to your property, it can
benefit your insurance cover
and most of all give peace of
mind that being a crime victim
is not inevitable.
MAN WHO CAN
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