Every year, as we get into the warmer months, the UK sees an increase in crime, particularly violent crime and anti-social behaviour. This is often due to the rise in temperature, increasing alcohol consumption across the population, as people come outside to enjoy the weather. In 2018, West Midlands police reported a record number of 999 calls, which they reported to be caused by “a combination of the World Cup, summer heatwave and excess alcohol”.
According to the Metropolitan Police, violent crime rates rise with the temperature (as seen above). Just between the 18-22 degrees to 23–27-degree range, there is a rise of 2,000 cases. The Department of Justice in the US also reports a 10% increase in burglaries, as well as an increase in household property victimisation and household larceny during hot periods.
So, What Can I Do to Protect my Home in the Summer?
DOOR LOCKS
Your home should be properly fitted with high quality door locks at the front and back of the house, or any entrance your home may have. Door locks are the first line of defence in preventing intruders – if an intruder cannot easily break or pick your lock within one minute (according to Bradbury Group), they will likely give up to prevent being caught.
Tradelocks provides a range of Euro cylinder locks which are accredited to the highest security standards and able to prevent the five most common types of burglary attack; drilling, picking, bumping, snapping and plug extraction.
Our Kinetica 3* Kitemarked Euro cylinder has the highest security rating in the market, providing the best level of protection. It has been awarded “Secured by Design” approval by the Association of Police Officers, as well as Sold Security Diamond Standard from the MLA (Master Locksmiths Association). It confidently prevents the most common methods of attack and can be fitted as a stand-alone product to achieve the 3-star security.
Secured by Design (SBD) is an excellent accreditation to look out for – according to SBD, Nottingham City Homes installed Secured by Design standard windows and doors as part of the city’s Decent Homes programme. Following the work, a two-year impact study was conducted between 2010 -2012 on the benefits of the work, comparing crime rates before and after. The key findings were that Burglary was reduced by 42% across Bells Lane and Broxtowe, compared to a city wide reduction of 21% over the same period.
DOOR VIEWER
Door viewers allow you to see who is on the other side of your door without opening it, and it’s recommended that for safety reasons, no door should be opened to a visitor without first checking who it is.
Tradelocks offers a range of wide-angled door viewers which have the added security benefit of allowing the user to see beyond the limited straight-ahead view of standard door viewers; some visitors may attempt to hide out of sight, but a wide angled door viewer will be more likely to expose them to the inhabitant.
DOOR CHAIN
If you look through your door viewer and see that a visitor is not someone you know or are not expecting, keep them out with door chains. We offer narrow TS003 or sliding door chains, made from high grade steel and fire rated.
Door chains prevent your door from being forced open by an unwanted visitor or intruder, so they’re an essential safety feature of any front door. Our door chains can withstand breaking forces of over 2kN (200kg), as each individual chain in the link is machine welded. These door chains can resist even extreme forces, so you can be confident in the knowledge that no one’s coming in unless invited.
LETTERBOX
You may not see your letterbox as a home security item, but it actually is. It’s a large, often very noticeable part of your home’s front entrance that burglars will undoubtedly try to take advantage of.
We recommend the Soterian TS008 letterplate for its advanced security features and resistance to attack. Letterbox fishing is a common tactic – burglars will try to extend a hook through the letterbox to pull keys or other items left near the door – our letterplates are designed to prevent this as the flap only opens to 37°. A burglar may also attempt to unscrew the letterbox from the door with a drill, giving them the opportunity to fit their hand or arm through the space and opening the door from the inside. Again, we mitigate this with design by using no visible fixings on the exterior of the letterplate. The Soterian is Document Q approved and PAS 24:2016 compliant, thoroughly tested and designed for both 44mm wooden and composite doors.
These essentials should give you the best chance of preventing break-ins, and we have more home security hardware on offer, including window security here.
