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Letterbox Burglary: How To Prevent it?

Letterbox Burglary

Everyone knows that it is vital to have good security measures implemented to your front door in order to better improve home security. This is why most people call out a reliable local locksmith to come and upgrade their current locks to stronger more secure locks that either meet or exceed the current British Standard BS3621 or TS007 for uPVC doors. With this said, one vital security measure that often gets overlooked is the letterbox.

What is Letterbox Burglary?

Letterbox burglary is where a burglar uses your letterbox to either gain entry to your property or take small valuable items such as wallets and car keys. A burglar can push their hand through your letterbox and reach up to attempt to unlock the door from the inside, they also use rod like tools to hook keys and wallets and pull them out through the letterbox. Unfortunately, this is a very successful method for burglars, and it requires very little skill unlike attempting to pick or break a lock to access the valuables in your home.

Prevent Letterbox Burglary

  • Never leave your house or car keys in the other side of the door or within view of the door. This is especially important if your door has glass panels. It is always worth having a quick peek through your letterbox to see what you can see as this is also exactly what a burglar would be able to see as well. If you find that where you usually keep wallets, purses and keys is in sight of a potential burglar then it is worth moving them to a new location.
  • You can replace your current letterbox for one that has a draught excluder built into it. The rows of nylon bristles used to prevent draughts also work well at improving letterbox security as it makes it much more difficult for a burglar to look through your letterbox and see what is available to steal.
  • You can have an anti-burglar letterbox installed, this have been developed by the security industry and have been through rigorous testing to ensure that they can not be snapped or vandalised and they comply with all current security standards.
  • Letterbox restrictors can be installed, these work by only allowing the letterbox flap to open a certain amount meaning burglars hands or tools can’t fit through the letterbox.
  • You could remove your letterbox completely and have an external letterbox installed. This is quite expensive so not an option for most, however if you are looking to purchase a new door then consider getting one without a letterbox installed and instead install an external letterbox next to your door.

Unfortunately, burglars are always looking out for new ways to gain entry to people’s homes, in turn the security industry is constantly coming up with innovative new ways to combat this, so it is vital that you stay on top of your home security measures and ensure you keep them up to date with the current security standards.

If you need help with letterbox security or any other security measures, then contact Re-Entry-Locksmiths today – 01765 451 453

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