37p locks no match for Huddersfield criminals, warns W Yorks Police chief

Nov 3 2009 by Sam Casey, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

FLIMSY door locks costing just a few pence are allowing burglars to plunder homes in Kirklees, West Yorkshire’s police chief has warned.

In the last year 320 homes in Kirklees have been targeted by thieves forcing open the cheap euro-profile locks on uPVC doors.

Sir Norman Bettison, chief constable for West Yorkshire Police, told the Examiner homes were at risk because it took just a matter of seconds to disable the locks.

He said police had not wanted to draw attention to the issue up to now because they did not want to alert criminals to the security weakness.

But he said the practice was becoming so commonplace that the public needed to be warned.

Burglars use a simple tool to smash the europrofile design cylinder, which often controls sophisticated locking systems on double glazed doors.

Sir Norman said: “The level of burglaries is worrying and our analysis shows a significant proportion of it, about one in four of all burglaries in West Yorkshire, is because of cheap euro-profile locks, which are used extensively in uPVC doors.

“They cost constructors 37p each, so you are protecting your £100,000-plus house with a 37p lock.

“Young burglars have realised how easy it is to attack these locks.

“We haven’t talked about this because we didn’t want to give potential burglars any ideas they didn’t already have, but we have now said we need to take a strategic position because it is widely known about within the criminal fraternity.

“The general householder isn’t aware of the vulnerability of the locks.