Double-glazing door locks easily defeated

[aw114ageuk]

A friend told me today that he'd read in the paper over the weekend that somebody has worked out how to easily defeat all double glazing door locks - the type where you lift the handle to activate the shoot-bolts. Apparently the police have been informed and are looking into it. Now it all sounds a bit simplistic to me, and could well be over exaggerated, but does anybody know more about this story? Is it true? Is it only certain manufacturers, products etc?

[Mungo]

Dunno if its still the case, but I was told recently that a simple application of heat from a blowtorch can melt the plastic of a UPVC door sufficient for a hand to reach in and work the mechanism. I'm not that clued up on this to be able to concur or refute it.

Mungo

[Weatherlawyer]

Someone told me a year or two back, they were the least secure of doors. I forgot what he said about them in disbelief. So consider anyone interested in using the information well and truly genned up.

[Ian B]

Urban Legend! It's always a friend of a friend that tells people but can never say how it is done. Doors are easily opened with a sledgehammer or thump from a heavy person. Most panels in doudle glazed doors are thin plastic over polystyrene so can be kicked in with little effort. Failing that, just drill the lock. The same as any door. Most smackheads/pot users just smash a window instead to break in.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Or you could simply smash the glass and walk through. Chavs seem to have no problem getting into cars this way.

If you want a reasonably secure house you're into putting steel grills, etc over every door and window.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Just have a walk round an estate in a high risk area. You'll find substantial steel grills over windows and a secondary steel bar door.

[nightjar]

It appears to be typical newspaper reporting. Apparently, multi-point locks that require the handle to be lifted to lock them can readily be broken. However, that is not the same as being able to be broken into.

Colin Bignell

[Weatherlawyer]

It's a damn good job that crooks don't have any foresight; otherwise they would break a load of doors so they could have a choice of ajar targets to come back to.

[nightjar]

That rather depends on whether it is possible for the householder to open the door after the lock has been broken.

Colin Bignell

[Lobster]

Well, I briefly scanned the article in question - don't have it now - and IIRC the point was that whatever the 'trick' was, it enabled a burglar to gain access, which to me implies 'broken into'.

David

[Weatherlawyer]

You mean that rather than try to get the door open the householder will merely resort to using an alternative door?

Count on it; there will be a number who will bodge the security following the need to upgrade it.

[Derek ^]

My late mother's front door was opened by a burglar. The lock engaged

3 bolt heads (Something like a mushroom) vertically into 3 tapered sockets, at the top middle and bottom of the door. He just shoved a screwdriver through the rubber seal near the lock and forced the bolt head vertically out of it's socket. All 3 bolts were linked together so they all released at the same time. FWIR each tapered socket was retained by a single self tapping screw. :-(

DG