Keeping things secure

[Holomon]

Thought I’d put together a post as one of my first non-replies that might be of use, on security and locks.
Firstly, there are a few different scenarios here;

1. Home security in normal life
2. Protecting your Home/BOL/Refuge/Shelter from an intruder post SHTF
3. A few EDC things that can come in handy, and why
4. How locks and security are bypassed, and the tools used

I’ll try and cover them one by one and field any questions, and also where possible point you to some reference material and specific items you can acquire (if I link a supplier then please do search around, just because I bought something from X doesn’t mean other suppliers aren’t available, and I have no affiliation).


1. Home security prior to something going horribly wrong
This section is more about common sense, planning, and a few things you can check to make sure your place isn’t penetrable in a matter of minutes. If you can rule out your entry points being bypassed, and reduce it down to someone having to use lock picks or a battering ram, then you’ll deter everyone except the guy that knows you’re hiding a fortune in kruggerands in the airing cupboard.
The main problems with home security (and I’ve noticed it in a few old threads having searched) is people having complete belief in their doors/windows/locks. So with that in mind, here are a few things to check around the house to make sure you’re off to the best possible start.

Deterrents - If you can fit an alarm, do. Most intruders don’t like to stick around once something is making a noise, and the only way to make it stop is to get up to your bell box (which of course is nice and high up on the front of your home out of reach) and physically remove it, then rip the battery out. Security lighting, alarms, cameras, all that sort of thing are excellent deterrents, and may stop a would-be intruder from getting far enough to test your below precautions. It’s a nasty thing to think about, but prevention boils down to having better security than some other poor sod.

Normal Door (Front or Back) – When it’s closed and locked, does it move a bit when you push it back and forth, or is it closed solidly? Movement indicates a gap in the frame, which may not be fatal given the type of locks you have fitted, but can mean the lock can be slipped with a shovit tool or mica. (I’ll come back to these tool names later).
Do you have (and use!) a mortice lock as well as a yale lock? This is important, as yale locks can take seconds to bypass on their own…mortice locks need to be kicked in or picked, so it’s a good first step in deterring front door entry.
Make sure that keys aren’t left in locks, and preferably aren’t in viewing distance of the letterbox. I know it’s good fire escape planning to keep them somewhere easy to access, but that shouldn’t include a burglar with a grabber coming in through the letterbox!
On the subject of letter boxes, make sure any deadlocks are on, as it’s very possible to insert a tool through the letter box and manipulate a door handle from outside – another reason a mortice lock with the key taken out is advisable.

UPVC Doors – If your lock sticks out further than a couple of millimeters, it can be snapped off with a specialist tool. It’s about £20 to buy, and you literally jam it over the protruding lock, wiggle, snap and use a screwdriver to open the door. These are going up in frequency now, there’s been a spate of burglaries in Hampshire recently using this technique. If they have time, they can take the cover plate off the door handle and get to it that way if it’s sitting flush.
I would highly recommend getting the locks checked and if necessary swapped for the snap off type – they snap off in such a way under this type of attack that the important part of the lock remains and can’t be manipulated.

Windows – If you have sash windows, fit additional sash window locks to the tops of the frames, and make use of the opening restrictors during summer to make sure people can’t force them up and get through bodily.
For wooden frames, again make sure the locks are robust, preferably have more than one at different ends.
If possible, ensure you have double glazing as it’s a tough one to smash, as well as being more energy efficient. If not, consider using a clear safety laminate on the inside to make them a nightmare to break. It can be bought at a variety of outlets and isn’t as expensive as you’d assume.

Outbuildings – Don’t rely on cheap padlocks, they can be twisted off, shimmed (more later) or just bypassed with a comb key (again more later). Also, those mechanical locks with the XYZ buttons? There’s a £10 tool that can open them as if they had a handle on the front, avoid them.

Oh…one last thing, make sure your safe is bolted to at least one structural wall, and is located somewhere that it’s difficult to get to with a crow bar. Back of wardrobes, under shelving or such is a good choice, even better if you can get it tucked away somewhere less obvious.
Don’t buy a digital safe, they run on batteries and have a tubular lock (the circle type key with the notch) as a backup. Those tubular locks will withstand approximately 30 seconds of picking at most, and might as well not be there.

[Holomon]

2. Protecting your location post SHTF
Simply put, barricades are the way forward. Everything listed in the above sections applies, except you’re defending against brute force and mob ignorance. Make sure you have shutters ready to go over windows (using something like marine ply that won’t be ruined by water). It may also be well worth investing in flameproof varnish, and applying it to get a good standard of flame resistance.
There’s nothing like making yourself a secure barricade only to find a petrol bomb undoing all that hard work.
If you can stand the outlay, the metal perforated shutters that get used to secure vacant pubs etc are a good call. They use multiple fixings into the masonry around the frames, and are used on abandoned buildings for a reason. Most rampaging mobs don’t carry a DeWalt battery drill to get the damned things off. Oh, and they’re fireproof of course.

Doors can be reinforced with props internally as a crude reinforcement, the easiest thing for this is scaffolding. Provided you aren’t daft enough to have a door made of swiss cheese, it can be propped internally with a few cheap and easy to buy fittings (they even sell them on ebay).
So, perhaps some cross bars anchored to the wall either side? Easy enough, buy two of these;



And use 2 of these to make a U shaped bar the width of your door with small vertical returns. This will allow you to drop the bar into place, and quickly remove it to give friendlies entry. Multiply as necessary for top and bottom door sections.



Giving;



If you want to deny access to anyone that doesn’t have a circular saw, you can assemble a quick framework and then secure it structurally to walls, floor or roof joists with angle sections like the below;




Bear in mind these brackets are somewhere around £5 each, throw in a bag of fixings to match the construction of the structure around your door, and then just buy scaffold tube in a length to suit. The tube itself can be bought for a few quid, which gives you a rapid-assembly barricade system that’s structurally secured to the house itself – for less than £50 per door.

[Decaff]

2. Protecting your location post SHTF
Simply put, barricades are the way forward. Everything listed in the above sections applies, except you’re defending against brute force and mob ignorance. Make sure you have shutters ready to go over windows (using something like marine ply that won’t be ruined by water). It may also be well worth investing in flameproof varnish, and applying it to get a good standard of flame resistance.
There’s nothing like making yourself a secure barricade only to find a petrol bomb undoing all that hard work.
If you can stand the outlay, the metal perforated shutters that get used to secure vacant pubs etc are a good call. They use multiple fixings into the masonry around the frames, and are used on abandoned buildings for a reason. Most rampaging mobs don’t carry a DeWalt battery drill to get the damned things off. Oh, and they’re fireproof of course.

Doors can be reinforced with props internally as a crude reinforcement, the easiest thing for this is scaffolding. Provided you aren’t daft enough to have a door made of swiss cheese, it can be propped internally with a few cheap and easy to buy fittings (they even sell them on ebay).
So, perhaps some cross bars anchored to the wall either side? Easy enough, buy two of these;



And use 2 of these to make a U shaped bar the width of your door with small vertical returns. This will allow you to drop the bar into place, and quickly remove it to give friendlies entry. Multiply as necessary for top and bottom door sections.



If you want to deny access to anyone that doesn’t have a circular saw, you can assemble a quick framework and then secure it structurally to walls, floor or roof joists with angle sections like the below;



Bear in mind these brackets are somewhere around £5 each, throw in a bag of fixings to match the construction of the structure around your door, and then just buy scaffold tube in a length to suit. The tube itself can be bought for a few quid, which gives you a rapid-assembly barricade system that’s structurally secured to the house itself – for less than £50 per door.

i like that very much! Living in a flat there is only one way in/out which is sometimes worrying but that would keep the beasties out if needed!
Thanks for posting.

[Holomon]

i like that very much! Living in a flat there is only one way in/out which is sometimes worrying but that would keep the beasties out if needed!
Thanks for posting.

You're welcome, will get cracking on the next two sections tonight or tomorrow

[Arzosah]

i like that very much! Living in a flat there is only one way in/out which is sometimes worrying but that would keep the beasties out if needed!
Thanks for posting.

From me too! I like having information, I like having choices ... knowing what *might* be done to safeguard myself is very helpful.

[Yorkshire Andy]

UPVC Doors –[snip]
I would highly recommend getting the locks checked and if necessary swapped for the snap off type – they snap off in such a way under this type of attack that the important part of the lock remains and can’t be manipulated.

im not convinced by snap safe locks slow someone in the know by about 5 seconds....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwOYBbI8ZfA

a longer wood screw and he'd have done it in one pull.....

Ive snapped a standard euro cylinder and been in under 60 seconds and that was without really knowing what i was doing having youtubed it (for a legitimate reason when relative went on holiday and left us without a door key (due to new front door) as we were looking after their pets.....


Im really at a loss at what can be done to secure a UPVC door bar mechanical barrel bolts but they are only as strong as the upvc

[ForgeCorvus]

So far you've given us a lot of useful info in a clear and understandable way.

I'm going to be watching this thread......And taking notes

Whats your background BTW ?

[TopSod]

Those euro cylinders are a poor design, I used to do call out for a housing authority and around 70% of those call outs were gain entry and change locks. Literally less than a minute to get the lock out/gain entry to a locked uPVC door. I'm not going to post the how to on a public forum though for security reasons.

Some excellent points raised there Holomon, thank you.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Double post

[Yorkshire Andy]

Those euro cylinders are a poor design, I used to do call out for a housing authority and around 70% of those call outs were gain entry and change locks. Literally less than a minute to get the lock out/gain entry to a locked uPVC door. I'm not going to post the how to on a public forum though for security reasons.

Some excellent points raised there Holomon, thank you.

Its well and truely out in the public domain anyway think years ago one ford key fitted most other fords once it got a bit worn once Ford's failings were publicised every scrite found out about it and it was open season . the criminals always find a way round only thing you can do is make your house less of a target. Than next door but not so secure you look to be worth the risk ..

If I'm bugging in seriously I have some long coach bolts some plate washers and nuts ... Plan is remove euro cylinder. Lock from with screwdriver to flick the escychon over place bolt and washer in from outside and wind but on inside.... OK I need to leave one door useable but a solid wood backdoor with decent mortice locks i hinge bolts IMO is much more secure