How to burglar proof your front door to protect your family

Finding that your home has been burgled is a traumatic experience. To help prevent that from happening involves taking a proactive approach to securing your property. Doing so can deter a would-be thief from targeting your home. One of the best ways of helping to keep your family and residence as safe and secure as possible is to look at how burglar-proof your house is and take steps to bolster its defenses.

To start the process, a great question to ask is how vulnerable the entry points are to the property. That means examining the windows and doors. With that in mind, the next question is whether you need to look at more secure windows or maybe a door replacement?

Here are some pointers on how to assess how good your current level of security protection is at the house and what to do to make it better.

Make sure your home does not become a prime target

The majority of burglars are looking for easy pickings. They will often seek to target properties that look like they do not offer that much resistance in terms of security measures.

One of the best ways to ensure a burglar decides to look elsewhere for their next victim is to make it obvious that you take the protection of your family and your property seriously. That means providing plenty of visual deterrents to help deter a thief from attempting to break into your house.

Installing security lighting around your property is a great example. When installed correctly, security lights prevent a burglar from being able to get in under the cover of darkness.

A vehicle parked in the driveway is another good visual deterrent. Of course, remove any valuables from the car in case someone with bad intentions decides to break into it rather than try to enter your home.

Installing a burglar alarm system also deters crime. Thieves may check to see if you have an alarm system before robbing the house and, upon noticing there is one, they might move on to an easier target elsewhere.

Improve the strength of the most common point of entry

It may surprise you to hear that 74% of burglaries in the UK involve the perpetrator gaining entry through the front door. With that in mind, locking the door, even when you are at home, makes sense.

Many burglars are opportunists who will try their luck to see if you have left the front door unlocked or windows open. If they’re locked, they might think twice about the entry.

It is also worth pointing out that if you have a storm porch covering the entrance, it can make it easier for an intruder to attempt to force the door without being seen so easily. In this case, consider putting a door on the front of the porch as an extra barrier of protection.

A lock is not enough

If you want your door to be more resistant to burglars, it is not always enough to rely on a lock alone on the front door to protect your family. What sort of additional measures can you add to make your main point of entry stronger?

A persistent burglar will look for weaknesses in your door frame if they can’t pick your lock. You could fit a door that has a steel plate between the door panels. This will be hard to penetrate and will withstand a good amount of force.

A good security door will usually have a steel core and be made from durable Tricoya boards that look like traditional wood but are much tougher to penetrate. Tricoya is a high-performance type of MDF.

You could also put drill-proof plates over the locks and add hinge bolts that interact with the door frame. This design can make even the most aggressive attempt at forced entry a failure.

Also, don’t forget that a mailbox in your door allows a burglar to reach through and try and open the door from the inside. If you have one on your door, fit a protector to prevent someone from reaching through it.

An additional security measure to consider would be to add reinforcing strips. These are steel strips that attach to the internal part of your door frame and run the length of the door. This is another way to prevent a burglar from forcing entry into your home.

Ask a security expert

Does your door have any of these added security features and does it meet the right standards? It is usually a good investment to upgrade your door to one that is stronger and has more security features than a standard fitting.

Ideally, you want a door that offers a multipoint locking system and is solid enough to withstand a certain amount of force. If you’re unsure of the options and what’s best for your unique house, talk to an installer who can evaluate your current security measures. They can give you pointers on ways to increase your home’s defenses.

When you think that so many burglaries occur by gaining entry through the front door, it makes sense to evaluate how good are your current security features. Then, take the steps to reduce your chances of becoming another burglary statistic. Stay safe!