Home burglaries are on the increase in the UK and unfortunately not many are solved. Burglars are generally opportunistic thieves who seek out any opening that they can take advantage of, specifically doors and windows that are left open or unlocked or ones that are easy to force. Most home burglaries do not happen at night, under the cover of darkness, but during daylight hours, generally between 10am and 3pm while a lot of people are at work. But it doesn’t take much to improve your home security measures and deter these thieves. Strengthening weak entry points into your home, such as the patio, conservatory or French doors, using a security lock from PATLOCK, can make all the difference.
No one wants to go overboard with their home security measures and have their homes looking like a state of the art prison but there are simple improvements that you can make:
- window locks
- better door locks and strike plates
- security lights
- alarms
- small cameras which send alerts to your phone
Our homes have lots of entry points that can be exploited by would-be burglars, and one of the easiest entry points is the patio, conservatory or French doors. Why? Well, these doors are generally out of view in the back garden. This gives a thief time to work to gain entry. But how much time to they really need? They don’t want to spend too much time breaking in as the longer it takes, the risk of getting caught is increased. And with lock snapping on patio doors, a burglar can enter your home within 30 seconds (this is based on patio doors with a standard euro cylinder lock), the patio doors really do need better security measures. You could fit patio doors that have no external locks or handles or make it simpler and use a PATLOCK.
The PATLOCK is a simple but strong lock for double patio doors that slides over the handles. It requires handles on both doors to work and is for internal installation (if your set of doors only has one handle you can always fit a dummy handle to the other door to be able to use the PATLOCK). It is so easy to fit and remove and requires no drilling, screws or gluing or even keys or codes. The PATLOCK not only secures the doors making the doors harder to break and gain entry to – even if the lock is snapped, it is also a visible deterrent.
The PATLOCK security lock has been awarded Secured by Design accreditation and is recommended by police forces and crime prevention associations throughout the UK. Secured by Design (SBD) is the Official Police Security Initiative that improves the security of buildings and their immediate surroundings to provide safe places to live, work, shop and visit. The PATLOCK is also endorsed by the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme.
In the box:
- PATLOCK Security Door Lock
- Tamper-resistant Spindles (x2)
- Window Stickers
- Instruction leaflet
The PATLOCK is a very easy device to fit; push the buttons to release each half, place each half over each door handle, push the two pieces together, push, click and secure.
If your door handles are longer than standard you can remove the rubber inserts to create more space, so it should fit all doors.
With the PATLOCK installed on the door handles, the doors are now secured, even if someone snaps the locks from outside. It works by making the handles immovable and ensuring that the multi-point locks and shoot bolts in the door locking mechanism remain engaged.
Whilst the PATLOCK can be used as it is straight out of the box, it is also supplied with additional security should you want to use it. It has 2 tamper-resistant spindles for added security. Once fitted, they maintain the integrity of the internal handles and the PATLOCK as they can’t be removed from the outside. These are to replace the spindles already in the door handles and are easy to fit (they fit most doors, but if too long will require cutting and it is recommended a professional locksmith fit them).
With the PATLOCK fitted onto your internal door patio door handles, it is visible from the outside so that anyone trying to gain entry can see that a security device is fitted. Whilst the patio doors are generally an easy entry point, with this visible deterrent, a burglar will not want to attempt entry as it could take too much time trying to get in, increasing the risk of being caught. Even if they do decide to try, the handles are secured internally, keeping the door locked.
If you have white patio, conservatory or French doors, the PATLOCK blends in with the doors and doesn’t look out of place or odd. It is simple to fit and just as easy to remove, literally in seconds, and it does an excellent job of securing the doors. As it is endorsed by the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, Secured by Design and recommend by police forces around the UK you might even be able to get a slight discount on your home insurance by using one (check with your insurer first, there is no guarantee of this).
Overall, the PATLOCK is an excellent simple and secure method for ensuring that your patio, conservatory and French doors can’t be opened from the outside with the security device installed. It works well and is very easy to use. It is not a replacement for locking your doors, but if you do forget and just put the PATLOCK on it will stop them from being opened.
Whilst no home security measures can 100% guarantee that a burglar won’t try their luck with your home, the PATLOCK is an excellent security deterrent which will make any would-be burglar think twice. At £49.99 including delivery, it is definitely a worthwhile investment.
Deter any would-be thieves and make sure your home security is strong and secure. Follow simple measures such as always locking those doors and windows (no point having locks if you don’t use them), don’t leave small high-value items in view from the windows (most opportunistic burglars are only after small and portable items, not 50” televisions), if using timers make sure they are set for random times and it you have patio or conservatory doors, invest in a PATLOCK – with a push and a click your doors are secure.
The PATLOCK is a simple device that is extremely easy to use but a lot harder for burglars to get past. A worthwhile investment for anyone with double-opening patio, conservatory or French doors.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £49.99 (includes VAT and delivery to UK mainland)
For more information or to buy, visit www.patlock.co.uk. Also available to buy from Amazon here.