APRIL 2020 | 33
Outdoor Living
A THIRD OF THE UK PUBLIC
NEGLECT DOOR SECURITY
Ensuring all entryways in a home are secure is
usually the first thing that comes to mind for
many homeowners. Yet, research shows more
than a third of Brits do not put measures in
place to improve the security of their home’s
entryways despite findings showing that 67%
of burglars break in through a door, while 21%
manage to get in by opening an unlocked door.
This was discovered
after bifold door manu-
facturers Vufold surveyed
the UK public asking them
“What do you do to make
your doors more secure?”
The responses to this sur-
vey revealed that Brits may
not be doing enough to in-
crease the security of their
entryways despite a wide
range of stringent measures
that could be taken.
Ensure glass
doors have
laminated glass
Large glass doors such
as bifolds have become a
popular addition to many
people’s homes but some
people may be put off glass
doors in fear that an intrud-
er could smash the glass
to gain access into their
home. However, laminated
glass can enhance the secu-
rity of glass doors.
Rick Collins, director
at Vufold, explained:
“Laminated glass involves
bonding two panes of
glass together with plastic
interlayers. This makes
it difficult to shatter and,
even if a breakage occurred
it would stay in place.”
Despite this option, less
than 5% of respondents
took this precaution.
Katherine McEntire,
safety expert at SafeWise,
added: “Most criminals do
not want to make sound or
cause a scene, so they will
not try breaking the glass
first.”
As well as laminated
glass to prevent entry,
intruders can also be
prevented from remov-
ing bifold doors from
their frames by installing
high-security hinges, a roll-
er system and tracks.
Additional and
existing locks
Fitting security
lights and door
alarms
Security lights can warn
off burglars and alert
homeowners to suspicious
activity – this measure was
installed by 8% of respond-
ents. However, security
lights are only so effec-
tive. They cannot prevent
anybody from breaking
in and could even entice
intruders.
Katherine adds: “A secu-
rity light above a door can
only ward off intruders if
it mimics human activity.
Keeping a light on all day
and night might actually
attract attention. A bet-
ter deterrent is getting to
know your neighbours and
asking them to watch for
suspicious activity, espe-
cially if you leave town
often.”
Nearly one in ten re-
spondents had fitted door
alarms to add extra security
but they must be kept up-
to-date to be effective.
Research shows that an
‘old battered alarm system’
could give burglars the im-
pression that it’s no longer
used or broken.
Katherine said: “Most se-
curity mistakes boil down
to simple negligence such
as, owning an alarm system
but never arming it, leaving
access codes out or not
keeping them secret, and
not using strong passwords
or changing them frequent-
ly, especially if you have
smart devices (e.g. camer-
as) in your home.”
Most respondents fo-
cused on locks to improve
door security, whether it
was checking their original
locks or fitting additional
ones.
Over a quarter of people
ensured their existing door
locks met British stand-
ards (BS3621). This is a
standard set by the British
Standards Institute (BSI)
for thief resistant locks
which are tested against
common burglary tech-
niques such as drilling and
picking.
Most doors have these
locks fitted as standard,
however it is easy to check
if existing locks conform to
BS3621 – simply look for
the British Standard Kite-
mark (BSI) on the faceplate
of the lock (this is viewable
when the door is open).
The specific standard num-
ber (BS3621) should always
be stamped on the plate.
However, only 15% of
respondents had installed
extra locks.
Rick said: “Most bifold
doors can be fitted with a
multi-point locking system
which can provide at least
three times the level of
security given by a single
deadbolt or mortice lock.”
And relax…
While some of these
solutions may be more
effective than others, they
can all increase the security
of your home’s entryways
and help to prevent break-
ins, giving you peace of
mind when you’re out of
the house and allowing you
to relax when at home.
As well as taking these ex-
tra steps to improve safety,
it is important to remember
the basics such as ensuring
all doors and windows are
locked and secure when
leaving the house.
www.vufold.co.uk