Whether you’ve been a professional locksmith for a week or for a decade, you need to know about lock snapping and the different ways you can prevent it from happening to homes you’ve worked on. That way you can give your clients the peace of mind they need, installing the locks that you know will provide adequate security for their home.
On our MPL Locksmith Training Courses, you’ll learn everything there is to know about lock snapping, uPVC doors, and the design flaws of certain locks. In today’s article, we’re going to briefly discuss what lock snapping is, the steps you can take to prevent it from happening to your clients, and how our training courses can help.
What is Lock Snapping?
It’s highly likely that you have a family member, friend, or even a colleague that has fallen victim to this surprisingly easy hack. Lock snapping is one of many different techniques that a criminal will use to gain access to your property. Unfortunately, it’s one of the most common techniques.
This is mainly because, with certain locks on UK doors, it’s relatively easy to do. Snapping a lock involves snapping the cylinder lock in half – it’s in the name. Brute strength and force snap the cylinder lock in two, allowing the intruder to remove the outer cover and expose the locking mechanism.
From there, they can tamper with the rest of the lock and bypass its security completely. No particular skill is required, and no specialist tools are needed either: a screwdriver or a hammer will do the job just fine.
Sounds pretty scary, doesn’t it? Well, to make things worse, the lock which is most vulnerable to lock snapping is the Euro cylinder (including both single and double cylinders), found on many uPVC front doors throughout the United Kingdom, and even on van doors as well.
By design, the Euro lock cylinder is very weak. We’ve previously explained how you can promote the benefits of snap-safe cylinder locks over standard locks. But today, we’re going to explain a few different ways that you can ensure your clients are safe from lock snapping.
How Can I Prevent It from Happening to My Clients?
These are the different steps you should take to ensure that the lock you’re fitting is fit for purpose.
Check the Existing Lock
Before you begin to order any snap safe accessories, take a look at the lock that has already been installed. You’re looking for a couple of things here.
First of all, has the lock been correctly installed? There shouldn’t be any more than 3mm of the lock protruding from the door. If there’s more than 3mm exposed and the cylinder is sticking out from the door, that makes it easy for the burglar to snap and manipulate.
If the lock however is installed correctly, then try to find out the rating of the lock. Cylinder locks standards are recognised on the TS007 and the Sold Secure Diamond Standard (SS312). Euro cylinder locks are rated on a 3-star basis, depending on the security they provide in accordance with these standards.
Does the existing cylinder lock have a 3-star rating under either of these standards? You should be able to see 3 stars and a kite mark on the lock. If its rating is less than 3-star, it needs to be removed and replaced.
Fit Diamond Standard Locks the Correct Way
So if the existing lock has to be removed, make sure that you install one that is effective against lock snapping.
You can do this by installing a lock which has a 3-star rating on either TS007 or SS312. These locks are often labelled ‘snap-safe’ locks, and have been proven to stop burglars attempting lock snapping in their tracks.
You’ll need to make sure that you install a lock which is the correct size, since there are several different sizes of doors and locks.
Finally, install the lock so that only the appropriate amount of cylinder is protruding from the door. This should be as little as possible, while still allowing the locking mechanism to be operated with a key.
Locksmith Training with MPL
As you can see, there are different ways to protect a home from lock snapping. And since there are hundreds of thousands of uPVC doors in the United Kingdom with insufficient snap-safe locks, the threat of lock snapping remains very real.
When you enrol on our MPL Locksmith Training courses, you’ll learn even more about lock snapping and how you can prevent it from happening to your clients. You’ll have the knowledge to explain the advantages of pricey snap-safe locks over standard locks, as well as the skill to correctly install a safe, secure lock.
Contact our friendly team today and find out how you’ll benefit from training with the best in the business.
