Survey highlights security goofs
October 2016

Doors and windows left unlocked ...keys left in the door …even windows held shut with a piece of string – however intruder-proof we make our doors and windows, many homeowners still make it all too easy for burglars just to walk in, according to a survey by Winlock Security.

Nearly half of homeowners admitted to mistakes like leaving their house keys in the front door – and half of those doing it more than once – more than one in ten leave a spare key under a mat or plant pot instead of with a neighbour. Nearly half deliberately leave windows open when they go out and 7% even do the same with their doors.

Winlock, which conducted the survey of 754 households to mark Home Security Month as well as the introduction of the new ‘Doc Q’ security regulations, also records a catalogue of gaffes by installers including door locks fitted inside out, the wrong hand latch being used and door hinges being accessible from outside where hinge pins can be slipped out in seconds.

Such installation errors are thankfully very rare, said Winlock Security Managing Director Alan Parker: “The general standard of door and window installation is very high,” but he continued: “It shouldn’t take Sherlock to explain that even where a door meets the highest level of security standard, if you forget to close it, it’s utterly redundant.”

From 1st October ‘Doc Q’ requires that all ground floor or accessible doors and windows on new build residential dwellings must be made to a design that has been independently tested to the latest security standard (PAS024).

www.winlock.co.uk