Blogs and Keys

There have been a number of reports in the press and on television recently about a weakness in the locks on UPVC doors. In some areas of the UK, notably West Yorkshire, Police are reporting that this weakness is clearly being exploited by thieves.

This is a growing problem throughout the country. No special tools are needed and a burglar can break these Euro Profile Cylinders in a matter of seconds and although we know the methods used, we will not disclose them in any detail, as a precaution against “copy-cat” burglaries.

This type of lock is commonly known as a Euro Profile Cylinder and is used worldwide on uPVC, PVCu, aluminium and some wooden doors. However secure or elaborate the multi-point locking mechanism is, it is the cylinder that is the vulnerable area. The cylinder is the part which allows key operation. If the cylinder is broken, the multi-point lock can be easily opened in no time at all.

All major Lock Manufacturers are working hard to find solutions to the problem.

At the moment, only two of the major lock manufacturers have come up with a viable a solution. Both Squire and Mul-T-Lock have designed a cylinder that still snaps, but it does so at a predetermined position which leaves the door secure. Mul-T-Lock have called their cylinders ?Break Secure’ and Squire’s range is called ?Snapsafe’

Although these new cylinders are not guaranteed against all methods of attack on uPVC doors, they act as a deterrent by making it much more difficult for burglars to gain access.

Some lock manufacturers, such as Squire and ERA, are approaching the problem by offering cylinder security devices or cylinder enhancers. These metal surrounds are secured to the existing cylinder underneath the door handle. ERA’s solution is particularly beneficial as it sandwiches the door and the cylinder in place, making it almost impossible to remove the broken cylinder.

Using these cylinder enhancers together with a Break Secure or SnapSafe cylinder probably is the most effective solution currently available.

To further reduce the possibility of forced entry, it is also of the utmost importance to ensure that a cylinder is the correct size and properly fitted.

A Euro Profile Cylinder should only protrude 2-3mm beyond the door furniture. Often, when cylinders have been replaced, the wrong size replacement has been used and this makes the door even more vulnerable.

It is a well known fact that burglars will always choose the easiest option!

To avoid becoming a victim of this type of forced entry, check all door cylinders and, if necessary, upgrade to ?Break Secure’ or ?SnapSafe’ ranges.

Always deadlock doors whenever a house is empty, and fit a door chain to the main door to use when you are at home. As an alternative to replacing the cylinders, consider fitting secondary bolts to uPVC doors in other parts of the house.

The most common method of car theft is when burglars break into houses and steal the keys, so make sure that any keys (particularly car keys) are hidden. Other easily removed valuables, such as jewellery, should not be left in exposed areas.

A safe is a useful addition to other methods of security and an ideal place to keep spare keys, passports, jewellery, cameras etc. These items are often not just financially valuable but have a great sentimental value which is irreplaceable.

For advice on all aspects of physical security, contact a reputable locksmith. If a locksmith belongs to the MLA (Master Locksmith Association), he has to have undertaken and passed an independently assessed BLI examination. Every approved Company has to undergo stringent, regular inspections to ensure that these high standards of workmanship and administration are maintained. As well, all MLA members conform to legal requirements and follow a customer charter which means that they are qualified and competent to carry out all aspects of the Locksmith trade.

I tried to Answer Brun the Leader but Yahoo can’t handle the size of my answer. But it’s a GREAT idea on how to neuter the banks and break us out of this recession, pay off our national debt, and bring unemployment in the USA down to 0. My question is … IS THIS FEASIBLE?
I voted for Chuck Baldwin. Chuck wants to eliminate the Fed. THAT is the only way that I can see of stopping the bankers. Chuck wants to remove the power of money creation from the Fed & return it to Congress.
When the Fed “created” that $700 billion out of NOTHING they then gave it to the banks to HELP them. The banks then LOANED the money back to people, govt, etc WITH INTEREST. It cost nothing to make it and cost the banks nothing to get it but we have to pay them back? What a crock!
If you eliminate the FED … you cut off their FREE money. The Fed is all the Ruling Families & they charge the govt interest on the $700 billion when they make it. So the FED is making interest on it AND the banks are making interest on it. The Fed has this country on lock down in that we can NEVER pay back what we owe. We can barely cover the interest on the money we owe already.
I just published the answer to this whole mess on Triond yesterday. It involves another bail-out but this time it would give the money to GM on condition that they rebuild DEtroit, build NEW homes and build a NEW auto plant that is the MOST advanced of ANY auto plant in the world. Robots & all. They would produce ONLY electric cars and hybrids capable of getting 300 mpg or better. ( see Aptera.com … they are already making them in Carlsbad, Calif. ) They would design these cars to be the best in the world. We have the technology, we have the expertise, we have the resources, GM just needs a boost of cash AND A NEW DIRECTION! WE need to incorporate the ideals of A. Edward Deming (deceased) who rebuilt the Japanese economy after WWII and Ford in 1980. GM needs to focus on cars that will go 300 miles for $3.25. Rebuilding Detroit will bring thousands of new jobs. Giving a lump of money to GE for windmill design and production will make us the global leader in windmills AND solar panels. GERMANY is the current leader in solar. WE NEED THAT and we can TAKE it from them. This is an industry that is new and fresh and needs inexpensive alternative to the expensive panels that are available now.
Dream with me here for a second. Imagine Detroit all rebuilt with thousands of new homes, and refurbished old ones. Take Brad PItt’s idea for New Orleans and use that for Detroit. New homes, thousands of new jobs, new industries. Happy employed people making a product they can be proud of and supplying the world with the best product for the lowest price. No greed, just MASS production. Solar cars, electric cars. I have a friend who is patenting a magnetic motor that will generate enough power (35 amps) to re-charge a bank of 25 batteries in an electric car. These magnet motors can run 24/7 for 20 years with NO cost. You could put one or two in a car and drive up to 200 miles to work. The batteries are re-charged while you are at work for 8 hours. You drive up to 200 miles home and the batteries charge up while you sleep. You take the family to the beach on SAturday and while your kids play on the beach the batteries are re-charged. You go to work … go to the beach … go anywhere you want … and there is NO cost for fuel. Gasoline prices drop to 25c / gallon like in 1960 and Exxon BEGS people to use fuel. Exxon finally gives up and starts making solar panels and hydrogen fuel cells or they make compressed air engines from the designs that are currently being studied in India.
The United STates Re-Invents itself. We bring all the jobs HOME. We bring FORD AND GM plants from overseas HOME. What if we could make a transport ship that runs on solar power. Use solar paint and solar panels all over the surface of the ship. Have a back up of a nuclear powered engine for when there is fog. These cargo ships could deliver our products all over the world at NO FUEL COST! We would employ thousands making these ships. Other countries would create a waiting list for these ships. Think we CAN’T design and build these? Nonsense. WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY. WE are the most advanced country in the world when we WANT to be. If we diverted our WAR MACHINE and converted all those factories to producing INEXPENSIVE solar panels and electric cars we would be the WORLD SOURCE and the country would prosper. Hell, we would do MORE than prosper. We could pay OFF our national debt, eliminate the Fed, close the IRS, and convert the IRS buildings into billing departments for the world’s corporations. WE could become the information hub of the world. We already control the computer industry and could solidify that in a heartbeat if we wanted to.
BUt the govt would have to CREATE a few Trillion dollars in cash and GIVE it to the corporations that SHOW that they can TAKE OVER A WORLD MARKET! The money could ONLY be