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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
World
Dayna McAlpine

Half of Brits making the same lock mistake that is making homes easier to break into

Currently, 76% of burglars use the front door as an entry point to a home, but how are they getting in so easily through what you probably think is the safest part of your house?

Well, new data has revealed that over half of us are buying the wrong type of lock for our front doors, and only 12% are buying the best lock to prevent burglars.

Security retailers Safe.co.uk has spoken with an expert locksmith to determine which are the riskiest locks and how easy it is for them to be destroyed.

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So far, just 12% of locks sold have Anti-Snap mechanisms, and Locksmith Simon Trifunovic explains how simple it is to break into a basic cylinder lock and the regular occurrence of lock snapping:

“Lock snapping is not a new phenomenon; it has been a method of door entry or cylinder removal for as long as euro cylinders have been around. What has changed is with the access of the internet and specifically YouTube, the method of entry has become available to the masses and is used more by criminals these days than locksmiths or emergency services.

"It is a method that with next to zero knowledge or skill and with just a couple of hand-held tools easily concealed in a single pocket, a lock can be snapped and opened in 60 seconds.”

To help prevent break-ins, Safe recommends buying a cylinder lock that has an Anti-Snap system. This means that the lock includes a reinforced body with a fake snap line.

Burglars break this as it faces the outside of the door, however the actual mechanism will stay completely intact and the door will stay locked.

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