Stay safe this Home Security Month

As we enter the second week of National Home Security Month (w/c October 5), residents are being urged to ensure their door and window security is up to scratch.

Typically, burglars spend just sixty seconds breaking into a home with 73% of cases gaining entry through the front door, according to Tesco Compare.

However, despite these statistics, one in five Brits still admit to leaving their door unlocked when they leave the house, according to The Telegraph.

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This goes to show, it’s not just about having the right security measures in place, it’s also about using them and keeping doors and windows secured if no one is home – even if you’re only popping out for five minutes.

Failure to do so not only provides easy pickings for opportunistic criminals, it also means that home insurance policies could be invalidated in the event of a break-in.

With the dark nights drawing in, now is the ideal time to ensure that maximum door and window security measures are in place, ensuring all doors and windows – upstairs and downstairs – are fitted with at least one appropriate lock.

Lock snapping is just one method of breaking-in where burglars gain entry to a property in as little as 15 seconds by simply using brute force. The locks most at risk of lock snapping are fitted with a Euro profile cylinder, which are found in the majority of PVCu and composite doors installed in the last 15 years and operate in combination with a multipoint lock. Upgrading your cylinder to one that meets the three-star standard can help to prevent this method of attack, as well as providing additional peace of mind.

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Other security tips include securing external timber doors using a mortice lock and/or nightlatch that meet British Standard and changing the locks if you have only just moved into a property, as you don’t know who still has the keys to your new home.

Hannah Adkins, marketing executive for National Home Security Month’s headline sponsor Yale, said: “Statistics continually reveal how easily and quickly burglars can access properties through the entry points of the home. We hope that NHSM raises awareness of the tactics used by burglars and provides advice on the best way to secure your property.”

For more information on National Home Security Month and for daily tips and advice, search for ‘National Home Security Month’ on Facebook and Twitter or alternatively visit www.homesecuritymonth.com.

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