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Original poster

To tell you to change your locks

199 replies

Palomb · 05/07/2017 14:01

If you have euro type barrel locks on any of your doors they are not secure. We were burgled last night for my husbands car. The scum that did it snapped the lock on our back door with a tool you can buy on ebay for less than a quid. We were asleep in the room above with the windows wide open and didn't hear a thing.

All out locks are currently being changed to anti snap locks. They are only £40 each. We had no idea lock snapping was even a thing.

Also, while I'm being bossy, if you have more than one car don't have all the keys on one key ring. I have to get all the locks changed on my car and it's going to cost £500+ this is not covered by my insurance. Keep your keys seperate. You can only drive one car at a time.

OP posts:
Sweetpotatoaddict · 05/07/2017 14:58

I leave my purse, car keys, downstairs in full view each night. I would much rather they took them and left, than woke to find someone high on drugs and probably violent upstairs in my house. My mother in law makes us rage our car keys upstairs when we visit her house, as her car got stolen when she left them downstairs. Take the car, take any material things from downstairs, hopefully they find enough to put them off venturing upstairs.

MeanAger · 05/07/2017 14:58

I see others have already said this! Grin

QuirstThenching · 05/07/2017 14:58

We had our door forced with a crowbar - which the Lidl down the road were selling at a pack of 2 for £8 at the time Angry

redjoker · 05/07/2017 15:00

Pregnant and living alone 5 days a week, currently glad i have a SHIT car!

KatharinaRosalie · 05/07/2017 15:01

Our alarm has pet safe motion sensors, so don't react to anything as small as cats. And of course you wouldn't have the motion sensors on at night when you are in the house yourself, for night we only have the window and door sensors.

As others have said, i also keep car keys and my handbag next to the door - if they go, that's what insurance is for. Hopefully means the cunts won't come rooting through other rooms.

mistlethrush · 05/07/2017 15:01

In my previous house, the neighbour opposite had her door kicked in and then someone rampaging around the house demanding the keys for the sports car that was parked outside with a baseball bat in his hand and a colleague... It wasn't her car! Luckily they believed her fairly quickly.

I had heard them initially when they were looking at the car and alerted the police when I saw they were intent on breaking in. They didn't get there quick enough to get the thieves but were pretty quick.

NomDePlumeReloaded · 05/07/2017 15:03

I have a pet friendly system (cats), the smart sensors detect motion of objects above a certain mass (so doesn't freak out if the cat jumps on the sofa for eg). I suppose that could be problematic if you have a large dog which could be the same sort of mass as an intruder on all fours, though. Worth doing a bit of research. Mine is an obscure brand that was recommended by a friend of DH's who works in private security but I think Yale and all of the big, known ones do similar.

Note3 · 05/07/2017 15:03

Thanks never knew about this problem. Sorry to hear what happened though

Original poster
Palomb · 05/07/2017 15:04

Our alarm is ancient and came with the house. I don't think it was mentione on our insurance as we've never even set it. We've got CCTV being installed at the weekend - been booked for weeks :(

OP posts:
NomDePlumeReloaded · 05/07/2017 15:04

We also have door seal sensors, as pp says.

Original poster
Palomb · 05/07/2017 15:06

northend if the have normal keys they they are Euro cylinders. The anti snap locks have bizarre keys. I'll take a picture when I'm back from the school run.

Tbh I'm absolutely horrified how easy it was for them to get in.. we might as well have left the door open.

OP posts:
lilyborderterrier · 05/07/2017 15:06

Aw hugs love that's horrible xx but at least you and your family are safe.

My oh is in the police and he removed those type of locks from the doors in our house when we moved in. He said that they should be banned as they are so easy to just push through.

AngryFlowersFlowers

NomDePlumeReloaded · 05/07/2017 15:07

The normal Yale type key is a Euro cylinder, yes?

redjoker · 05/07/2017 15:08

wasnt there some simple gadget on dragons den that solved this issue a while back, will try and find

Original poster
Palomb · 05/07/2017 15:10

Yeah just a normal looking key.

OP posts:
SofaToad · 05/07/2017 15:11

We have a metal door and frame which is cemented in, and a 5 bolt lock after reading about people having their doors kicked in. Earlier this year 2 neighbours had their doors forced open with some mind of tool.

Our alarm has sensors that go off when someone hits the door or window, athough not sure if a cat bashing at it would set it off, was told it would be OK though, it does go off if I slam a window when I am annoyed.

SlothMama · 05/07/2017 15:11

So sorry that some scumbag has broken in! We've got an alarm that will go on most nights and CCTV cameras, keys are sometimes hidden but I do forget sometimes! The spares are all hidden away though.

selfishcrab · 05/07/2017 15:12

I keep my car keys by my front door now.
Quiet a few years back a guy came through my house right into the back of it as my keys were in the kitchen which was the last room, my son who was about 10 and I were sat in the lounge watching tv.
This was at 2pm!! They wanted my car and doubt that a small woman and a little boy would have stopped them.
Car was never seen again!

Original poster
Palomb · 05/07/2017 15:13

Just change the locks. Our locksmith has said it takes him 20 seconds for get in a Euro Cylinder and an hour+ for anti snap.

Had I even had half an idea how shit the locks were they would have been changed the day we moved in. I'm surprised there isn't more publicity about it tbh.

OP posts:
WhatHaveIFound · 05/07/2017 15:14

redjoker our alarm has a perimeter setting so that you can arm the windows & doors but not the PIRs so we can still wander around the house. Great for the evenings when DH is away.

I set it fully when i go to bed having checked the doors a hundred times.

OP i'm surprised at the police telling you to leave keys out. Our local ones are always reminding us not to. I hope you manage to get secure and sorted soon.

Biker47 · 05/07/2017 15:14

I changed mine to secure handles and anti-snap locks when I moved in. Standard handles were wafer thin when compared next to each other.

GinGeum · 05/07/2017 15:15

Gosh, we never even lock the doors, let alone know what locks our doors have. We really ought to be a bit more careful really. Sorry to hear about your burglary OP.

PigletJohn · 05/07/2017 15:21

A Euroculinder looks like this though you only see the end of it peeping out.

I am very unkeen on them (and on plastic doors generally)

Here are some vids:

there are several other ways.

I am especially fond of a sturdy wooden door with a 5-lever British Standard 3621 deadlock. Observe the traditional key shape. It cannot be snapped, corkscrewed or bumped.

The only lock of this type that I know of, built to fit a multipoint door, is the ERA Vectis.

orzal · 05/07/2017 15:27

We have ABS locks as lock snapping is common in our area. The keys come with a card with a code so even if you give a key to someone they cannot get a copy made without the code.

SoupDragon · 05/07/2017 15:35

K425 I would argue that in fact you should keep your car keys in the most obvious place inside your front door

The point I think K425 was making was that if key are visible near the front door it is very easy to simply hook them through the letterbox. I've done this when I locked myself out having put the keys on the hall bench and then had the door slam shut on me when I'd not picked them up.

Put them somewhere visible if you want but do not leave them where they can be hooked using nothing more than a bamboo cane and a cup hook!! You might as well leave them in your car or on the front step.