Taking a New Look at Home Security

We may have seen a television program, movie or commercial showing a burglar or thief blatantly walking up to a front door and just kicking it in without any trouble or personal injury. While most of us would believe this is pure fantasy, the unfortunate statistics indicate that home invasions are on the rise, and the most common method of entering a home is simply forcing the way through the front door.

Of course it is not just the brazen home invasion burglars that kick in substandard doors, so too do traditional criminals who wait for a home owner or family to vacate the premises for the day or a few hours. All of these burglars instantly recognize if a door is going to permit easy access. They know this by looking at the materials from which it is made, the type of locking mechanism in place, and the condition of the frame and jamb.

What does “substandard” door mean? There are a few ways that thieves look at a home for burglary potential, and the primary approach is to get a view of the doors leading into the home. Substandard doors can be those that are easily demolished or opened by force – which usually means hollow wooden doors. Unfortunately some people don’t recognize that their home offers such substandard doors, and one of the most often overlooked of these is the door connecting a home to its garage area. Such doors are traditionally installed in this location because the garage doors themselves can serve as an unbreakable entryway, but unfortunately many families frequently leave their garage doors wide open for a majority of each day, and even at night!

Alternately, a substandard door could also be one that has a weak lock or flimsy door jamb. When someone kicks in a door they are only able to do so by forcing the lock to give way from the jamb, but today’s homeowners can easily and quickly install both reinforced deadbolts and the heavy duty steel jambs that are completely “unforceable” – even if delivered a powerful kick.

Of course there are other doors that can be considered substandard because they allow easy access, and these include doorways hidden from view such as those in enclosed porches. There are also sliding glass doors that are quite easy to force off of their tracks.

The first situation can be easily remedied by the installation of reinforced doors, jambs and locks on any hidden areas. Even the most determined burglar will have to eventually come to grips with the fact that a door or its locks are going to be impossible to overcome.

Sliding doors are easily remedied by the installation of the “Charlie” bars that prevent them from being moved in any direction at all, and force the door to stay in place. A burglar would have to risk smashing an entire wall of glass in order to gain access through a slider unit outfitted with a Charlie bar.

Of course the ultimate deterrent to a criminal looking for substandard doors is a professionally installed home security system. A majority of convicted burglars admit that they do not even approach a home that has signs or stickers indicating that a monitored system is at work.