New Year – New Jeans v New Locks!

New Year – New Locks!

Christmas is over and the New Year is here. The sales are already in full swing and many credit cards are taking a full on battering! Somehow, we are even starting to think about holidays! This time of year seems to bring out the spend monster in many of us.

So if we can go all out to buy that new telly, or furniture, or computer, or washing machine, and save hundreds of pounds, why not seriously consider putting the savings to good use and making sure your home is secure? This morning I have transformed a property from one I could get into within seconds, to one that a burglar will look at from a distance and instantly look to the next property as a potential target – and all for well under £200.

Many people live in homes that very often have old and out dated locks. But most information is online. Without stereotyping, many older people do not have/want access to the internet, so please if you know someone elderly or infirm, check their locks for them. Especially look for kite marked locks and if they don’t have them, help them look up the number of a local locksmith. So many homes that should have 5 lever mortice locks – the generally accepted insurance standard, only have three lever locks or even just two lever. These can be replaced for little over £100. And remember we are not talking about double glazed doors here which have multi-point locking systems.

On the subject of double glazed doors, those hooks, bolts rollers, etc, count for nothing if you have a standard locking barrel. These can be snapped and access gained in under a minute, so please make sure your barrel is kite marked and preferably given a three star rating as well; I had to gain access to one of these over Christmas, and the wear on my extra-tough drill bits was incredible. I can say it is possible to gain access through these locks, but the time and effort involved goes way beyond what a burglar would want to use, and as these locks are visibly different, they deter burglars from a distance. The upgrade for these high security locks is well under £100 per lock.

So, if you have waited until now to spend £200 on a pair of jeans because they used to be £300 ask yourself if you really need them? A new kite marked lock might not be as exciting, but it might just save you a future nightmare, not just on a material level. Unless something of particular family value has been stolen, most people get over the loss of replaceable belongings quite quickly. But most victims find it extremely hard to get over the invasion of their private space and almost all agree they would not have been victims if they had had the correct levels of security in place to begin with.

There is a certain feeling that goes with knowing your property is secure. I challenge you to try it. The excitement of wearing that new pair of jeans might diminish when you get your credit card statement or you desperately need cash for something else, but you will never regret upgrading your security.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!

admin January 3, 2015

kite marked locks / New Year - New Locks! /

Personal Security

It’s that time of year again. With a great summer and mild autumn, Christmas seems to have crept up on us and many of us are all going to be making a mad dash to get our presents bought. So, with the prospects of larger crowds, it might be a good idea to think about staying safe. For men, the advice is quite simple. When you go out, put your wallet in a pocket you don’t usually use. The slightly different feeling, will help to alert you if unwanted fingers come along looking to relieve you of your hard earned cash. With cash in mind, carry as little as possible. I know it’s easier to keep track of how much you are spending if using cash, but your kids won’t be happy on Christmas day if all you can afford is a tangerine! If you have difficulty remembering the pin to your card, don’t write it down. Put a false entry in your phone and place the pin somewhere in the false phone number. But make it look real! Ladies, make sure your handbag has a zip and preferably a covering flap that can be closed with a clasp of some kind. Make sure you close it completely with all features. If you are pushing a buggy, do not rest your hand bag on top where it is easy to snatch by someone passing. Use the bottom near the ground. It’s harder to snatch something subtly, if they have to bend down. If your bag is carried over your shoulder, wear the strap across your body and have a handbag with a thick strap. This will make it harder for the strap to be cut, no matter how sharp the knife. Do not carry information with your address anywhere you are carrying your keys. Keep the contents of your bag to the essential items you will need for the day. A bulging bag might be more of target as it suggests more to be had. On a similar level, designer bags may be more of a target as they suggest a richer owner with possibly more cash. Use a cheaper one instead if possible. So now we are safely shopping, if it is all in one go, there are inevitably going to be trips to the car to unburden the weight of all those precious new items. Please don’t leave bags of goodies on the seats. It’s an open invite for the window to be smashed and the items taken. Put everything in the boot and make sure it is covered. Don’t leave anything in the passenger area. Car windows have been smashed for such little things as a packet of cigarettes or a few CD’s and once they are in, they can pop the boot. When you are putting things in your boot, check around you to see if anyone seems to be paying you any attention. Similarly, if you are using your card either at the till or cash point machine,look back over your shoulder to make sure no-one is trying to see what numbers you are pressing or how much you are getting out. Don’t be afraid to politely but firmly ask the next person in the queue to give you more space. More often than not, the next person is just in a hurry and/or doesn’t realise they are so close. They will step back. If they don’t, go to a different place to make your transaction. It might take more time, but you will be safer. If the worst happens and your bag or keys are stolen, contact the police and start thinking about changing your locks and contact a locksmith as soon as you are home. It’s also party season, so be just as vigilant when you go out for drinks. Again, only take what you need. I have felt a finger slide across my back pocket looking for a wallet. Luckily, my wallet was in my front pocket and therefore safe. I was naïve at the time but interested and observed a group of five people moving around this particular nightclub. When they did strike it lucky, the wallet had been passed to the end of the line before the victim registered anything. Without going into details, it seemed the staff were in on the whole affair as well, so you can only rely on yourself to stay safe. If you have any questions regarding this topic, please feel free to contact using the details on my contacts page. Also if you have any tips to add, please use the comments section on this page. Thanks for reading!

admin November 30, 2014

Personal security /

Double Glazed Wooden Doors

I have noticed a steep rise in the number of wooden doors with multi-point locking mechanisms this year, and I am noticing them because they are having problems. These problems tend to stem directly from the wood holding water and causing rust to the metal moving parts. The problem is compounded if the mechanism has shoot bolts because water collects in the bottom shoot bolt hole and rusts the bolt itself – causing problems. Wooden doors are also less easy to adjust than their UPVC counterparts and therefore, if anything comes out of alignment the problems start, remember these doors are wood so they will swell in the winter and dry out in hot weather.

So what can we do about these problems?
Firstly, if you are thinking about installing wooden double glazed doors, consider the potential problems for the future. Yes it is true that you get more window space than a UPVC door but things are a lot harder to correct with wood and often more expensive. In my travels, I have seen only one set of double glazed wooden French doors with hinges that were adjustable to make the doors fit better, however these adjusters were extremely fiddly and without going into technical detail, I wouldn’t expect them to make too many adjustments. Therefore the customer has a finite life on this door. If you really must have wood over UPVC then see if your installer can provide a door that has a mortice lock rather than a multi-point mechanism. Multi-points are still being fitted with standard locking cylinders which means the intruder can gain entry in less than a minute. So unless you are sure your installer is going to fit a BSI 3621 or better cylinder, then a mortice lock is safer anyway. Always seek independent advice before committing your money to these doors.

If you already have these doors in place, then make sure they are oiled regularly. With the door open, lift the handles and inspect all the hooks, rollers, etc for any signs of wear. Even if there are no obvious signs of wear, the handles should lift nearly as easily with the door closed as they do with the door open. If they do not, then there is probably an alignment problem and if this is the case, get your local locksmith to take a look. A small cost now will save a greater cost in the future. Just in case you glossed over the first instruction; oil regularly! Rust is more likely to appear at the bottom of the door, so concentrate your oil here. If the mechanism has shoot bolts top and bottom, make sure the bolt holes are free of water and debris. I see these doors a lot on holiday let homes so if you own a holiday cottage take the time to do the maintenance yourself as many management companies work reactively when the damage is already done.

Should you require any more information about this topic or any of the other lock related matters, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via my contacts page.

Thanks for reading.

admin July 31, 2014

Double Glazed Wooden Doors / Home maintenance / Home security /

Externally beaded windows

Experience has shown that despite anything the manufacturers say, double glazed windows that are beaded on the outside are still a security risk. With no particular training, I have been able to remove this beading as a way of gaining entry to properties in the past with no specialist tools and if I can do it then anyone can. Externally beaded windows are easy to spot as they have a thin gap around the edge of the window pane. if you look at your windows from the inside and cannot see this then you will if you look from the outside. There is now a lock on the market to locksmiths that attaches to the glass on the inside and locks over the inner frame making access impossible without smashing the glass. AC Locksmiths wants to be at the forefront of home security and would welcome interest in this new product. If you would like an informal chat about this product and how it could improve your home security with no obligations, then please contact via our contacts page. Thanks for reading!

admin October 26, 2012

Winter months.

According to the Office of National Statistics burglary accounted for 7% of all crimes reported in a 2011/2012 survey which totalled 501,053 incidents. Vehicle related theft was a huge 13% representing 1.2 million occurences across England and Wales. There are two points to be made here. Firstly, half a million reported crimes may not seem like much especially here in Norfolk where most of the population is spread out across small towns and villages, but I picked up my local area weekly this week and looked at the police report. Within fifteen miles of my location there were more than four reports of burglary and more attempted efforts. This clearly shows rural areas are just as easily targeted as the big cities. Secondly, cars are obviously an easy target. Don’t leave anything on display except additional security such as steering wheel or handbrake locks. The opportunist will smash your window for the slightest thing, be it a few pence or a mobile phone, etc. He or she has everything to gain while you have your insurance excess at the very least to pay out for the sake of taking a few moments to hide your stuff. Some things might not even seem worth taking to you, but why take the risk. Put it away in the glove compartment, or better still take it with you and leave the glove compartment empty. Also the clocks go back on 28th October. Halifax Home Insurance report a 63% increase in burglary claims during the winter months with the average cost of a winter burglary being £2,623 while the average cost through theft from a car amounts to £347. As a result of vehicle crime, premiums have shot up by 8.5% in the last year. Please bear in mind, these are reported figures. What of the cases of attempted burglary where only damage was done (usually down to good locks) or just a few small bits taken. I have been to several jobs where the customer just did not think it worth reporting to the police. While we do not condone non-reporting, how many cases are there out there that would change the figures? In the lucky cases of failed burglaries, these are almost always down to one of two things. Incompetent burglars or good security. Its worth updating home, vehicle and commercial security before the incompetent burglar becomes polished. One last point. Possibly the biggest increase in theft at the moment is centred around gardens. We keep a lot of quite valuable stuff in our sheds, garages and other out buildings. Even furniture is being taken from gardens. For advice on security relating to the above topics and a free security check with no obligations, please contact via any of the methods on our contacts page. Thanks for reading.

admin October 15, 2012

Squatters

Commercial property owners beware! New legislation means that squatting in a residential property now carries a fine of up to £5,000 or a year in jail but this only applies to residential property and now owners of commercial properties are at more risk as this new legislation does not encompass comercial property. If you are a commercial property owner, then now is the time to make sure your security is up to standard. It is being advised that owners of empty commercial buildings should have caaretakers in place to look after the buildings but 24 hour monitoring could be a prohibitive cost. Very often, we find old empty buildings have some of the poorest locks making them prone to vandals and squatters alike. AC Locksmiths do complete security checks for free. We will tell you our reccomendations at time of survey along with a no obligation quote for any work that nay need carrying out. In some rare instances an immediate quote may not be possible, but in all events this will take no longer than 24 hours. here is nothing to lose, so please book your appointment via the contacts page. Thanks for reading!

admin October 15, 2012

Insurance

Whilst on my way home today I heard a feature on the radio regarding the difficulty of getting insurance companies to pay out for a stolen car. The problem was that the car was supposed to be virtually unable to be stolen without one of the two keys the manufacturer provides. But these electronic keys can be cloned and although the insurance companies know this, they were trying to say that their client must have been party to the theft. It took 9 months for the claim to be settled and an intrusive investigation into the clients finances. The conclusion that was drawn from this episode was that the customer should not have taken the manufacturers security systems as being as good as he was assured. The range of additional security for cars is large, but in many cases, the most effective is the cheapest. As has been said in previous posts, nothing is foolproof, but the idea has to be to make the thief move on to the next target. Things like brightly coloured handbrake or steering wheel locks can easily be seen from outside the vehicle and present the thief with another problem to contend with. Wheel clamps do likewise, and are relatively cheap compared to the high tech stuff that can cost you more than the car is worth. Every layer of security, no matter how cheap, is more time in which the thief is likely to get caught so therefore it stands to reason he is more likely to move on to the next target. This applies to our homes as well. If you have read my previous posts, you will know that I have a strong commitment to the security of upvc doors. Like the car manufacturers, window and door companies are selling you doors with hooks, bolts and all sorts of security- but weak lock barrels that make the rest stand for nothing. Remember, 42 seconds without any noisy drills and the burglar can be in your home. Every customer I have demonstrated this to has replaced with the diamond standard lock barrels that display the BSI kite mark-an instant visual deterrent to the would-be burglar. We would all like to be able to afford alarm systems and while that is something AC Locksmiths will soon be providing, the dummy cameras and motion detecting lights are just as likely to make your home just another place to pass by for the burglar on his way to easy targets. Should you want further advice or tips, please feel free to contact via our contacts page. Don’t put yourself in to a situation where you have to fight your insurance company for a pay out. 9 months is a long time to be without a car, television, computer, etc. Thanks for reading!

admin September 19, 2012

Thinking Ahead

With the summer holidays just about over, we can look forward to the shops starting their Christmas displays. It makes us all groan because it seems to get earlier every year- but it also makes us start planning for the next expensive part of the year. In recent years we have started our Christmas shopping earlier getting bits a few at a time so that when the last few days arrive, we are not panic buying in shops full of others just as fed up with the whole affair. This is also a good time to get your security checked as well – especially as we provide FREE SECURITY CHECKS! This does not just mean we are looking for ways to upgrade your locks. We look at ways to save you money. For example – French doors to your garden perhaps that have taken a beating over the summer and now seem stiff to lock back into position. UPVC doors that have warped in the summer heat. (There was some occasionally.) Locks that have rusted, especially in coastal areas, and, where the door gets battered by the winds. A free check now which might result in minor repair or servicing work has to be better than replacing broken parts when money is tight, and it always seems to happen when we can least afford it! UPVC doors are especially problematic, and as the manufacturers change their designs often, any mechanism more than 10 years old runs a risk of being obsolete so when it does fail replacements are harder to locate and more expensive. Much better to have these mechanisms with their complex moving parts serviced before they cause serious problems. Let me also take this opportunity to re-state the importance of Diamond Standard locks on UPVC doors. Regardless of the number of hooks, bolts, rollers, etc your door mechanism may have, they mean nothing if the burglar can snap the lock barrel and be inside your home within 42 seconds (as demonstrated by W. Yorks. BBC). They do this without the need for any electronic tools making the job very quiet. Only Diamond Standard Euro cylinders offer the best protection. They cannot be snapped, drilled or picked. They are even protected against so called “bump” keys. While we all know burglars can always get in if they really want to, the idea is to make your home less inviting and when the criminal sees the kite mark displayed on your lock, he is more likely to move on to the next house (so tell your neighbours to increase their security as well!) After all, a house that is well protected suggests any valuables inside are also better protected. I am also still amazed at the number of wooden doors that are not fitted with five lever mortice locks. ‘Five lever’ does not refer to multi-point locking systems on double glazed and composite doors as many of us seem to believe, but the number of locking levers inside a mortice lock – the type that sits inside the opening edge of a door and has a bolt thrown by the key, and often a latch operated by the handle. The faceplate of your lock should tell you how many levers there are and if five, should usually have a BSI kite mark displayed. If the lock says 2 or 3 levers then it is not up to insurance standards and alternatives should be looked at. Also if the lock is so old that you cannot make out the markings, then it might be time for a change anyway. More often than not, private rental properties are where we find non-insurance standard mortice locks, so landlords and tenants please take the time to check your properties. Less common but still enough to cause concern are ‘Horizontal’ mortice locks. These can be identified as having a knob that turns the latch that is in (as the name suggests) a horizontal position to the key hole, further from the edge. Usually in older doors with ‘character’ these locks are rarely of the kite marked 5 lever type and should be looked at. The insurance standard replacements are nearly always different in sizes and should only be changed by a professional. If you don’t have a mortice lock on your wooden door, then your ‘Yale’ type lock should also have a kite mark. (Again, landlords and tenants should double check). Above are highlighted some of the more common problems we see every day, so our final message is this; Don’t give the burglar reason to choose your house and don’t give the insurance company reason to refuse payment. AC Locksmiths Norfolk is currently looking into alarm systems. Please ask if this is something you are interested in as starting rates are likely to be extremely competitive. Thanks for reading.

admin September 4, 2012

Holiday Home Security

In my line of work it is always shocking to find the lengths people will go through to get their hands on your property. Whilst in Cyprus recently I learned of a way organised criminals were robbing holiday homes. The scam goes like this; Your holiday apartment that you rent out has a web site showing all the great stuff it has inside like fridge, cooker, maybe even a TV and sky. The criminals trawl through these sites and ring you up to place a booking, asking when the apartment is free. Once you have told them the apartment is available on particular dates, they then roll up break in (almost all the locks I saw were the weak Euro cylinders – see my earlier posts for more info) and take your stuff to be sold at the other end of the island. So please beware of people asking you for available dates. You should be asking them when they would like to travel. If they are flexible, then be cautious in giving out too much information. An exact address should only be given upon confirmed booking with full or at least part payment. This might make you come across as a bit awkward but if you explain to people why, then I am sure they will understand. In the complex where I stayed there were several other holiday properties. Conviniently, there were keysafes next to the postal boxes for each one. Three or four were hanging open as the properties were occupied and out of curiosity I did an experiment and found all to be set on their open codes, I assume so that the occupants wouldn’t have to bother remembering the code when they put the keys back! It wouldn’t take the greatest criminal mind to note these codes for later use. So it is also important to have your cleaners/ apartment managers/friends or whoever looks after your property for you, to change these codes reguarly. Finally the next time you visit your holiday home, find out what sort of locks you have. If they are Euro cylinders, take them out and measure them. We can send you the correct size Diamond Standard replacement for your return visit. For any more advice please contact through our e-mail or phone number. No question is too big or too small and if we don’t have the answer there and then, we will get back to you.

admin June 22, 2012

Anti-Snap Cylinders.

With the growing press about Euro profile cylinders for upvc, aluminium and composite doors, we are now offering the BSI kite marked cylinders for self installation to be delivered across England within 5 working days. Depending on demand, we aim to make this UK wide in the near future. Please call for instructions on how to measure for size and fitting instructions. Prices upon demand, but in the region of £50.00 which will include telephone help on installation.

admin April 8, 2012

1 2 3