Burglars are happy to choose the direct route into the house: That leads through the door or the window, who often offer little resistance. – Put a stop to thieves with retrofitted fuses.
The chance, to be the victim of a burglary in Germany, stand well. After all, someone tries to break into somewhere about every three minutes. But so that it stays with the attempt, it applies, To effectively protect doors and windows against being opened by force.
Doors and windows can be installed in new buildings, which are already burglar-resistant. But in existing houses you will usually look in vain for additional burglar protection, although they can also be easily retrofitted. Take advantage of advice from specialist retailers, and if you have problems with the assembly, better let a professional do the work. Because only properly installed security devices offer optimal protection against break-ins.
When purchasing additional fuses for doors and windows, you should refer to the corresponding test certificates, for example from TÜV, the VdS (Association of property insurers), the DIN seal, or pay attention to the recommendations of the criminal police. The VdS, for example, tests such fittings in its own institute, where high standards have to be met, before the seal of approval is awarded. Measured against possible break-in damage, the costs are kept within limits. For the all-round security of a single-family house, one reckons with a maximum 2000 Euro.
TÜRBESCHLAG
Burglary route number one leads, especially in apartment buildings, through the door: Türbeschläge (Door plates), which can be unscrewed from the outside, invite burglars in. Because the door plate has on the apartment- and front doors not only have a visual function, it also protects the lock and the lock cylinder against being opened by force. A so-called security fitting, as you can see in the big photo, is always screwed from the inside and with one or more steel plate inserts something like a tank for your lock. Attempts to drill open are in vain here. In addition, a cylinder cover protects, also with a steel insert, the profile cylinder against breaking off, pull out and drill out (KLZS abuse 714, from about 48 Euro). On doors with rosettes instead of door plates, at least the lock cylinder can be fitted with a security rosette (below, RHZS abuse, from approx 49 Euro) protect. When replacing simple hardware with security hardware, you have to pay attention, how far the cylinder protrudes over the door leaf, so that it is optimally covered.
STRIKING PLATE
Usually a simple strike plate is built into a door frame today. A weak point, which is often overlooked. So that the strike plate cannot simply be levered out of the frame, it should be off 3 mm thick metal and 30 to 50 cm long. The longer the better, because then it is screwed to the frame at more fastening points. An additional anchoring in the masonry makes it almost impossible, to pry out this strike plate. Therefore it is either connected to a steel plate which is anchored behind the frame in the door reveal (Drawing above) or it is screwed diagonally into the masonry through holes on the edge of the striking plate. Pay attention to suitable wall anchors (Special dowels) for the respective wall construction material.
LOCK AND CYLINDER
Around half of all doors can be opened with a single kick, because the door locks – next to the other weak points of the door – have nothing to oppose. A good lock has a bolt (the locking pin protruding when locking), the one with the door locked at least 20 Grips mm into the strike plate.
The profile cylinder should, especially if the door fitting does not cover it, have anti-drill protection (in the graphic above the gray cylinder below the locking mechanism). He prevents, that the fastening screw of the cylinder is pierced and the cylinder is pulled out.
FRAME
The same applies to the frame of so-called apartment entrance doors and house doors as to the strike plate: The frame must be stable enough, so as not to be easily levered out. This means, it should be made of solid hardwood or metal. In any case, however, it must be anchored in the masonry. Only such massive frames have enough substance, additional safeguards such as hinge side safeguards (1 + 2), which are embedded in the frame, to take effect.
DOOR LEAF
A door, which is secured all around, nevertheless does not become a reason for preventing a burglar, if the door leaf is made of hardboard with a cardboard core. (3) A few hammer blows or powerful kicks are enough, and the entry is made. The basis of a burglar-proof entrance is the door itself. A stable front door is at least 40 mm thick and made of solid wood or solid wood-based panels. Burglar-resistant doors are also available in stores, which are equipped, for example, with a sheet steel layer. Glass inserts should be glazed to prevent break-ins or provided with plastic panes. Barred light cutouts provide additional protection and at the same time an effective deterrent – but only, provided the grilles are screwed from the inside.
With additional door locks (Abuse 9030, from about 88 Euro) you achieve better protection against being forced open, and the locking bracket gives you the opportunity, to check first, who you are dealing with at your door (4). Latches across the entire width of the door are even more secure (Armored bolt), whose strike plate is anchored in the masonry and on which, according to the criminal police "Cologne study", is around 45 Percent of all break-in attempts fail.
TAPES
It is very tedious, a door on the hinge side (Hinge side) to open. Especially, when the frame and the door leaf are stable (Drawing above). It will be even more difficult, if the tapes are also anchored in the masonry. Bolts or claws, which are embedded in the door rebate in the frame and door leaf (1, Abuse TAS 82, round 8 Euro; 2, Abuse TAS 102, about 11 Euro), prevent effectively, that the door can be pushed open here. They work automatically when the door is closed and do not need to be unlocked. The door is optimally secured on the hinge side, if the hinge side protection is also attached to the masonry and thus withstands up to a ton of pressure. For this purpose, a rotatable claw is mounted on the door leaf and a holder on the frame in the pivot plane of the door hinges (5 – for example Abus TAS 1l2, round 39 Euro).