Expert Locksmith Advice

Advice on key safety

Did you hear about that time that Robert Louis Stevenson was sacked from his job as a maintenance man at the bird reserve? They had no choice really – he decked a jackal and missed a hide. I’ve told that joke to literally dozens of people now and not one of them have laughed, so this was my final go. I can sense the tumbleweed, but drop me a postcard or telegram if you did chuckle just so that I have some form of validation. Regardless of all that, there is a tenuous connection between that ‘joke’ and the subject of today’s blog which will all be about hiding keys – asking whether you should, and if so, the places you should definitely avoid. 

Ideally, you would never hide your house keys around your property. The safest place for them to be is on your person at all times. Hiding originals or duplicates anywhere away from you runs the risk of an unintended “seeker” coming across them, and gaining the easiest of access to your property. If you must hide them though, here are a few places you should certainly side-step. 

Should you change your locks when moving house?

What do they say are the most stressful times of a person’s life again? I seem to recall they included getting married or divorced, dealing with a loved one’s death, moving house, and discovering there are no Twix bars left when you could have sworn there was at least one, and who’s been stealing all my Twixes again? I’ll just be talking about one of these today anyway – I’ll give you a clue, it’s not the marriage/divorce topic nor is it the death thing, and unfortunately it’s also not the Twix issue as that’s still too painful to talk about. 

Going on holiday - security advice

A very happy August to you all. I would say Happy Holidays, but that would just be annoying to those of us who aren’t going on any holidays this month. So Happy August it is. And for those of you not having a holiday this year whether through choice, economic circumstances or because you forgot to get your passport renewed in time, you can at least relax for the rest of this blog and feel relieved that some of the advice won’t apply to you.  You should still read it though, clearly, as it’s both entertaining and information, plus most of the tips will also relate to day to day circumstances as well as just holidays. 

Car crime in Doncaster... stay alert

“I like driving in my car, it's not quite a Jaguar. I like driving in my car, I'm satisfied I've got this far.” If someone is singing that whilst approaching your house then beware, it could be the first sign of Madness. Oh, come on, that’s a legitimate joke and I stand by it, so shush. Anyway, you may have noticed I’m not Suggs and as such you may now be questioning why I’m suddenly quoting him. As you’ll soon see, there’s method to my madness (sorry).

You will be relieved, or perhaps disappointed, to hear that this won’t be a blog about the Ska music scene of the late 70s and early 80s. Rather I’m going to be talking about the subject of cars. This isn’t my pitch to be one of the new presenters on The Grand Tour – thankfully there’s no vacancy anyway, given Richard Hammond’s recovery from his latest escapade, but it is directly related to my day job of locksmith. “But how?” you cry, “for cars are not houses..” and I would give an enigmatic smile and direct you to the news story here - http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/thieves-target-high-value-cars-in-doncaster-1-8586423. At which point you’d understand, nod, and ask me to continue. Well, I’ll assume that anyway as otherwise this blog would be ending considerably early. 

What are rim night latches?

Well, I had a draft of this blogpost written, giving thanks that all the excitement of the elections was over and adding that I thought I spoke for most of us when I said "STOP ASKING US THINGS, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD."  That draft didn't age well as I had rather assumed some normality would have returned by the time this was posted, but it appears that might not quite be the case, and the never-ending cycle of political news rolls on and on.

Mortice lock description

Well hello, I seem to have found a small window in amongst the never-ending elections in order to pen a new blog. Don't worry, I'll be staying well away from the politics today - after various referendums, elections both sides of the Atlantic, and the recent local and mayoral elections, I'd be quite happy never to see another party election broadcast ever again. The only "strong and stable" you'll hear from me will only relate to any locks I recommend you have fitted, and I promise not to bang on about it as often as some people do. 

What makes a secure front door?

Right, hello, you're looking lovely there. Hope you had a splendid Easter and all that - it'll be summer before you know it.  Now the pleasantries are out of the way, I thought I'd go back to basics on this month's blog. Not in a 1993 John Major campaign type of way because, well,  I'm not John Major, and I've not been up to unspeakable stuff with Edwina Currie - apologies if you thought that was me. Rather, instead of getting deep into the ins and outs of alarm systems, safes, window locks, grilles, and the like, I thought I'd concentrate on one thing and one thing only - the trusty front door. Or at least it should be trusty, but as we'll see, this isn't always the case. 

The simple fact is that if your house has the most secure front door in the neighbourhood, your chances of being targeted by burglars drop significantly. As I've said time and time again, burglars are lazy and want an easy life - 20 years of being in the locksmith business has shown me that they will take the path of least resistance every single time. The front door is still the main point of access for most burglaries, and having the right one in place can be intimidating enough for the burglar to take a glance and then move on looking for an easier target. 

So what makes a secure door? There are a number of factors, four of which I'll briefly touch on below;

Modern home security tips

Easter is round the corner already. I'll be honest, it's a time of mixed emotions for locksmiths. On the one hand there's the chocolate eggs, the odd day off work (if we're lucky), and perhaps a Bond film on the television. On the other hand, our profession took a bit of a kicking with the whole tomb aspect of the tale. I tell you what, if that stone had had a proper lock fitted, I wouldn't have fancied Jesus' chances of escaping from the tomb after his death, Son of God or not.  Clearly the security arrangements of 2,000 years ago left a lot to be desired. 

Security advice for students

I was watching University Challenge the other night, basking in the warm glow of the answers I got right, whilst simultaneously bemoaning the fact that there was yet again no round about the intricacies of the Yale lock, and it got me thinking about the safety of students. No, I wasn't worried that Paxman was about to dive over the desk and begin thumping the team captains for not knowing the answers to the Latin poetry round (though you can never rule that out), but rather the security of the accommodation in which the students would be living. 

Home security advice for winter

Well hello there, and a belated Happy New Year to you all. Hope you had a good festive period and are now all geared up for whatever 2017 may bring. Going by how 2016 went, fasten your seatbelts - it could be quite the bumpy ride.

In this spirit of resolving to do the right thing/change our ways, I thought I'd put together a quick list of ten resolutions every home owner should make for the New Year to improve the security of their home. Don't worry, they're a hell of a lot easier to achieve than learning a new language or training for a marathon in the Sahara, I promise.