Colin Jones a native of Tremeirchion who now lives in Trelogan will join the staff of Delyn Locksmiths in May.

Colin served his time as a fitter with Hawker Siddeley Aviation, Broughton in the late 60’s following which he spent four years in the Merchant Navy as an engineer officer.

In the mid 70’s he took up employment with Holywell Urban District Council then Flintshire County Council where he worked in a variety of roles for over 26 years.

Colin brings the number of us emplyed at Delyn Locksmiths to three and he will be responsible for our accounts and for managing the locksmiths shop in Holywell.

If you have any payment queries you can contact Colin on his direct line number 07515595838.

Try not to get locked out on the 1st of June 2008! Only joking, we’ll have a skeleton cover on that day but most of us will have packed our bags for the MLA expo. It’s held in the Telford International Centre, and you can find
out more by clicking the following link http://www.locksmiths.co.uk/expo/ see you there!

Only joking of course, but it would be if we could all cut keys like this guy!

We are now registered installers for GE KeySafeTM. You can find their website here.

Remember that you can also buy a wide selection of keysafes, keyboxes, cashboxes and safes from our shop in Holywell. We are busy working on our online shop which will be launched in a couple of months, but meanwhile you can order by telephone on 01352 716056.

Worried about bumping? Need a higher security cylinder on your door? Well help is at hand, as an ICL member we are at the forefront of security development and now the ICL has launched it’s own range of Euro Cylinders.

The cylinders are

1/ 6 pin to EN1303
2/ antidrill pins as standard
3/ antisnap on both sides
4/ pretreated with pickbuster to resist bumping
5/ 4 antipicks per side
6/ 57 different sizes / finishes / variations
7/ brass and nickel finishes
8/ thumbturn available on each size
9/ specific pinning kit available
10/ the cylinders have passed PAS 24 annex c testing (by the MLA) for bump resistance

The cylinders will be available from march 1st.

Delyn Locksmiths can also supply to trade with typical pricing being £6.50 for 30/30, £8.60 for 40/40. These cylinders are comprable to the squire range which sells to trade at 4 times the price. So make sure you phone and order our new, higher security cylinders. 01352 716056.

DOORS
SECURE ALL DOORS
If your front and back doors are not secure, neither is your home.

Make sure the doors and frames are strong and in good condition. Doors should be made of solid core construction – 44mm thick.

Glass panels on or around the door are especially vulnerable, so replace them with laminated glass.

Fit back and front doors with a five-lever mortice deadlock – and use it.

Fit all exterior doors – top and bottom – with bolts. Remember to fit all security devices with strong screws or bolts.

Get specialist advice on fitting locks to patio doors.

Fit both french doors, top and bottom, with a security mortice lock and mortice bolt

Patio doors should have special locks fitted top and bottom unless they already have a multi point locking system fitted.

If you’re thinking of buying PVCu or metal framed windows or doors, make sure that they come with good built-in locks and a fitted chain, which can be very difficult and expensive to add retrospectively.

Look in your telephone directory for the names of local locksmiths who are members of the Institute of Certified, or visit their website.

RIM LATCH
Most front doors are fitted with a rim latch which locks automatically when the door is closed but can be opened again from the inside without a key.

For extra protection you should consider installing the following:

AUTOMATIC DEADLOCK
This locks automatically when the door is closed, but when locked externally with a key, cannot be opened from the inside.

CHAINS
These help you to speak with strangers at the door without letting them in.
Remember, if in doubt, keep them out

Buy a chain and use it every time you open the door.

MORTICE DEADLOCK
Fit a five-lever deadlock about a third of the way up the door. One kitemarked to at least BS3621 should satisfy most insurance requirements.

HINGES
Check that the door hinges are sturdy and secured with strong, long screws.

For added security fit hinge bolts. These are inexpensive and help to reinforce the hinge side of a door against the use of force.

DOOR VIEWERS
Enable you to identify callers before opening the door.

LETTERBOXES
Never hang a spare key inside the letterbox – an obvious place that a thief will check.

Consider fitting a letterbox cage which prevents thieves from putting their hand through the letterbox and trying the locks from the inside.

Around the house
LIGHTING
Good lighting can deter a thief.

Some exterior lights have an infra-red sensor that switches the light on for a few moments when it detects something in its range. Sensors can be bought separately to convert an existing outdoor light into a security one.

Look in when you’re out.

Most burglaries happen when a house or flat is empty, so:

Use time switches – available from DIY shops – to turn on lights, radios and other appliances when you’re out.

Don’t tempt the thief – keep all valuable items out of sight.

Don’t advertise your absence when you’re on holiday, or even when out at work or shopping. Most burglars will only tackle an empty house.

If you can, get a friend or neighbour to look after your home when you’re away, by collecting your post, drawing your curtains at night and generally making the place look lived in. And be prepared to do the same for them.

BURGLAR ALARMS
Visible burglar alarms make burglars think twice.
There are many systems on the market, ranging from cheaper DIY alarms to more sophisticated alarms costing hundreds of pounds. Easily installable ‘wire-free’ alarms are now available whereby sensors fitted around the house transmit radio detection signals to a control system. These systems usually take 3-4 hours to fit. Wired alarms are cheaper but take longer – around a day – to install.

Get specialist advice and a number of quotes.

Consult your insurance company for companies they recommend before deciding which best suits your needs. The system should meet BS4737 (professionally installed) or BS6707 (DIY).

Remember, a badly-fitted alarm can create problems in itself. Don’t install a DIY system unless you have the electrical knowledge and practical skill to do so.

IF YOU LIVE IN A FLAT
The most vulnerable part of your flat is likely to be the front door.

Replace a weak door. It should be as strong as the main entry door.

Fit hinge bolts which stop the door being pulled off its hinges.

Fit a steel strip to the door frame to strengthen it.

Consider having a door telephone entry system installed. Never ‘buzz’ open the door for strangers or hold the door open for someone who is arriving as you are leaving.

SPARE KEY
Never leave a spare key in a convenient hiding place such as under the doormat or in a flower pot – a thief will look there first.

If you’ve moved into a new house, consider changing the back and front door locks – other people may have keys that fit.

SIDE PASSAGES
Fit a strong, lockable, high gate across the passage to stop a thief getting to the back of the house where they can work undisturbed. If you share an alleyway with a neighbour, ask their permission and for help with the cost.

GARAGES AND SHEDS
Often full of expensive tools ideal for breaking into the rest of the house – and often left unlocked.
Never leave a garage or garden shed unlocked, especially if it has a connecting door to the house – a thief could get in and work on the inner door in privacy.

Fit shed and garage doors with a strong padlock and make sure that they are solid enough not to be kicked in.

Lock ladders inside the garage or shed to stop a thief using them to reach inaccessible windows. If there is no room inside, chain or padlock them horizontally to a sturdy bracket on an outside wall.

GATES AND FENCES
Check for weak spots where a thief could get in – a low or sagging fence, or a back gate with weak lock.

A thorny hedge along the boundary can act as a deterrent. But make sure that the front of the house is still visible to passers-by so that a burglar can’t work unseen.

Contact Dewi on 07977 594707 to arrange your free home security survey. The survey doesn’t take very long and we should be able to arrange a time that is convinient to us both. The survey will take about 20 minutes to complete including a discussion of your current security and anything issues which might affect your insurance cover. There will be NO hard sell at any time, in fact we will not try to sell you anything.

We will walk around your house together, looking at all your windows and external doors, we will also have a look at all out buildings like garages and sheds.

If I think there are any improvements which should be made, I’ll point them out. Iw ill not try and persuade you to get us to carry out the work, and If you like I can suggest where you could buy products to carry out the work yourself.

I can of course supply and fit any of the security hardware, if required. I’ll leave my card, should you wish any work to be carried out, and if you are unfortunate to get locked out or lose your keys, you will have my number.

I’ll also ask you to put the number into your mobile phone, so that if you do lose your keys/break one in the keyhole etc, then you’ll already have it at hand without having to use directory enquiries, borrow a yellow pages, or phone the police.

How can you make your home more secure? How can you make life more difficult for the burglar?

Most burglaries are committed by opportunist thieves. In two out of ten burglaries they don’t even have to use force – they get in through an open door or window.

Look at your home through the burglar’s eyes – are there places where they could break in unseen? Have you fitted strong locks on your doors and windows? Would they have to make a lot of noise by breaking glass?

Reduce the risk of burglary happening to you by making sure you’ve taken these simple precautions.

For a relatively small outlay you could make your home more secure and buy peace of mind into the bargain.

WINDOWS
A third of burglars get in through a back window.

Easily visible locks may deter some thieves, because a window lock forces the thief to break the glass and risk attracting attention. DIY shops sell inexpensive key-operated locks to fit all kinds of window.

Fit key-operated window locks to all downstairs windows, those which can’t be seen from the street and easily accessible upstairs window, eg. Those above a flat roof or by a drainpipe.

Even small windows such as skylights or bathroom fanlights need locks – a thief can get through any gap larger than a human head.

Remember to remove keys from locked windows and to keep them out of sight in a safe place.
Louvre windows are especially vulnerable because the slats can be removed easily from the frame. Glue the slats in place with an epoxy resin, and fit a special louvre lock. Better still replace them with fixed glass.

If you are replacing windows – consider laminated glass.

As a last resort, consider fitting security grilles to vulnerable windows – many DIY shops now sell decorative wrought iron grilles.

Casement locks make it impossible to open windows without the correct key.

Fanlight locks have a metal bolt to secure the metal arm used to open and close the window

The lock shown here locks the two windows together. A more discreet version is embedded into the wooden frame. Or there are devices to stop the window opening beyond a certain limit

In the next article in this series I’ll post some general safety tips and a little about door locks. Remember Delyn Locksmiths offer a free security survey, with no pressure selling, we’ll just point out where the weaknesses in your security are. Feel free to contact us on 07977 594707 to claim your free security survey.

As we mentioned in an earlier post, we are official suppliers of the pickbuster anti bumping product. And now it is endorsed by Martin Platt off Coronation Street!

Click Here to see a short video about the problem and the solution.

If, God forbid, you ever have any problems with burglars breaking into your property, wherever you are in Wales, you’ll be glad of our number in your mobile phone. So put it in now. Better still, give us a call, and claim your free security survey - stop the burglars in their tracks.

07977 594707.