Lower-class criminals aren’t masterminds. It’s easy to assume that someone who is interested in breaking into your home has a master plan complete with high-tech gear to assist him or her in burgling your home. But a lot of burglars simply walk through the front door while homeowners are gone. The front door is actually the most common entry point for burglars.
Protecting against break-ins can be tricky but fortunately there is a way to ensure that your home can stay protected against the most commonly known break-in methods. If you’re a little worried about your front door’s security, you should probably consider installing the British Standard locks.
What’s the British Standard?
The British Standard is a compliance standard that requires a security product to meet a minimum requirement before it can be recognised as a quality product. There are several different types of locks on the market but you can tell whether your locks are British Standard by looking for the Kitemark. The Kitemark is a special insignia that looks like a heart with a crossbeam and a letter “S” located in the centre of the heart. This insignia forms the letters “BS,” which obviously stands for the British Standard.
Why Use the British Standard for Your Locks?
There are a few different reasons to use British Standard locks. For example, most home insurance companies require that in order to insure your home, you must have British Standard locks on all of your doors. This is because the British Standard locks have been pre-approved as secure enough to deter the basic methods of forced entry. These entry methods include picking, bumping, snapping, drilling, and plug extraction. British standard locks are designed to prevent all of these common forced entry methods whereas locks that are not British Standard might not be certified to protect against these methods.
How the Cylinder Star Rating System Works
A British Standard lock cylinder can receive a star rating based on a series of tests. If it meets the bare minimum security standards, a lock can receive a one-star rating. In order to receive a two-star rating, a lock must be able to pass a test referred to as the PAS 24 test. In order to receive a three-star rating, a cylinder must be able to withstand a PAS 24 test as well but the testing conditions are more rigorous.
How to Get British Standard Locks
In the interest of protecting your home and making it as secure as possible, you should consider hiring a locksmith in Reading to install British Standard locks on your external doors. British Standard locks are recognised by insurance companies and are qualified to stop common attack methods.
Simply reach out to your local locksmith and ask him or her to survey your security system to test whether you are truly protected against a home burglary. If you need British Standard locks, you can ask the locksmith to install them on all of your external doors for you. You can even ask your locksmith to make a product recommendation since he or she is a security expert.