Security 2
Front Door
A rim latch (Yale type) on its own is not sufficient. The door should also
be fitted preferably with a 5 lever mortice deadlock, though insurance companies
will accept a rim automatic deadlock; both must be to British Standard 3621 or the equivalent European Standard EN12209.
Quality locks are only as strong as the doors and frames to which they are attached.
Ensure that the frame is sound and the door suitable for external use; for
instance, a wooden hollow core door would not be suitable. It should be of
substantial construction, at least 44mm (13/4") thick to support the mortice lock and hung on three strong 100mm (4") hinges. The rim latch and the mortice should be fitted 45 to 60cm (18-24") apart.
In the door itself, recessed or decorative panels should be a minimum
of 9mm (1/3") thick. Consider fitting a London Bar (metal strip on frame side) to support
the strike box, or Birmingham bar to support the frame on the hinge side.
If the door is weak consider fitting a sheet steel plate or door reinforcer
on the outside covering the lock area. Timber frames should be sound and
securely bolted or screwed to the the walls every 600mm (23") around the whole frame.
Doors with glazed panels are inherently less secure than solid doors, hence the
need for a deadlock. Consider replacing ordinary or toughened glass panels
with laminated glass - two pieces of glass bonded together with a sheet of
laminate - as they offer much greater resistance to attack. For added safety
and security fit a spy hole and door chain or limiter. These will enable
you to deal with callers to your front door whilst retaining a level of security.
UPVC/PVCU front doors are generally unsuitable for retro-fit security devices. Hence when receiving a quotation do ask the supplier company about fitting the
best security locking mechanisms that you can afford.
Letter Boxes
Letter boxes / plates should be considered as an opening which can be used by
the criminal, either to extract goods from within in close proximity to
the door, commonly door keys, or to work vulnerable locking devices from
the inside.
Letter plates should conform to British Standard. They should be positioned
not closer then 400 mm from the door lock and under no circumstances should
they be fitted to the bottom rail of the door. An internal cover plate offers
additional security, as does a letter basket, though you might wish to consider
removing the bottom, allowing the mail to fall to the floor and thus preventing
theft of the mail.
At Window Price Beater.com we ensure all our companies offer the latest security measures as standard, please feel free to get in touch or to obtain a quote.
