What is Lock Snapping? – Find Out How To Prevent It
If you are a homeowner in the UK, the last thing you ever want is to be a victim of lock snapping. Knowing that someone has gained easy access to your home is a horrible feeling. In recent years, lock snapping has been reduced as a crime in the UK, but this is only due to the prevalence of anti-snap locks on the market and awareness campaigns about the problem.
Lock snapping is a blight on the market and has been the cause of many break-ins across the UK. If your doors lack the right kind of protection and security, you run the risk of being a victim of lock snapping. Criminals will scout properties and look for those that lack the lock-snapping protections needed to avert their entry. In this article, we will break down what lock snapping is, how it can be avoided, and what you need to make sure you do not become one of the many victims of this crime.
Getting Started With Lock Snapping: What Is It?
The term lock snapping sounds like someone just comes along with a pair of pliers before snapping your lock in half. While the process is a little more technical than this, it is a criminal entry technique that requires no specialist knowledge of skills whatsoever. In fact, with the right lock type, a criminal can have the lock snapped and opened in about twenty seconds.
Unlike other entry methods, lock snapping is very quiet and thus unlikely to alert your neighbours or others. Lock snapping is used on Euro lock cylinders, which are found across the UK. Most homes in the UK have Euro lock cylinders, especially if they have UPVC doors. However, even many more modern composite and aluminium doors will have locks that can be easily snapped. In rarer cases, we have found snappable locks in commercial premises in the UK.
How Does Someone Snap My Lock?
Again, it sounds like a physical method in which someone brute-forces their way through the lock system. That, though, is not the case. Locks are snapped by breaking the cylinder itself; this is the main point of the lock where all of the other lock points converge and operate from one another. When the cylinder is snapped, all the other locks within the door are rendered pointless.
Unfortunately, the cylinder is also the weakest part of your lock system. So, not only is the main part of the lock the easiest to access, but it also remains the most brittle. A criminal with enough intent could quickly learn lock snapping and then apply this to a door that has a Euro cylinder lock that is not of a high enough standard.
Lock snapping takes seconds, too, so you would be unlikely to find someone caught in the act. This is not like smashing your door open or using a blowtorch to burn away the door and get to the lock itself. No, lock snapping is much quieter and requires a fraction of the skill of other entry methods. While less than one in ten burglaries in the UK today involve lock snapping, it remains more common in areas where properties are older and thus more likely to have mechanisms prone to lock snapping.
Is Lock Snapping Rare?
Yes, it’s rarer than it was. However, in the 2000s and 2010s, lock snapping was a commonly taught technique in the criminal underworld. Today, we have developed many door lock types that make it much tougher for someone to use lock snapping safely. However, there are reasons why the police still recommend regular door lock reviews. Luckily, there are solutions we can put in place ASAP.
Let’s look at your solution to stopping the potential blight of lock snapping: anti-snap locks!
How Do I Check For Euro Cylinders?
The good news is that if you have a uPVC or a wooden door, then you almost certainly will have a Euro cylinder lock installed. If you want to know if you have a Euro cylinder lock, though, you just need to look at the door. Look for a lock shape that is long and cylindrical. It should also have the key entry point flush within the middle of the cylinder itself. The keyhole should also be nice and straight; other non-Euro cylinder lock types tend to use something a little bit different.
If you have any doubts about the type of lock you have installed, we recommend contacting a local locksmith who can review the lock for you.
How Do I Know If I Am At Risk Of Lock Snapping?
The simplest thing you can do is look closely at the locks you have fitted at present. Any Euro lock that is not SS312 Diamond tested or TS007 3-star rated (see below) could be at risk. The most common form of Euro locks which are prone to being victims of lock snapping include thumb-turn locks and single/double-lock cylinders. If you have a Euro cylinder lock on your door, then you need to have it reviewed by a professional to see if it meets either TS007 3-Star or SS312 Diamond ratings.
Anti-Snap Locks: Do They Work?
Yes, anti-snap locks are the 100% proven method for stopping lock snapping at its source. Anti-snap locks mean that someone cannot break through the lock in the same way they could with lesser quality lock types. Anti-snap locks come through a testing method managed by Sold Secure (SS). SS is the leading body in the UK for lock analysis, ensuring that locks meet a higher standard than before. Locks that are declared to be anti-snap must go through testing and achieve the SS312 Diamond certification.
You should also know about TS007 3-Star, another certification. TS007 locks go through a different testing program than SS312 Diamond, but the results are similar. Any lock that holds a genuine TS007 3-star rating is anti-snap protected. While many experts still hold up SS312 Diamond as the industry standard, locks that are TS007 3-star-rated remain perfectly fine as an alternative. A quality locksmith will recommend the best option for you regardless of certification.
However, anti-snap locks only prevent lock snapping if they are correctly installed. A professional locksmith must safely install a lock, and it must fit the size of your door. Installing an anti-snap lock that is too big (or too small) will lead to complications and thus make it easier for someone to break in regardless. When fitted and installed by a professional, though, SS312 Diamond locks are 100% anti-snap protected.
How Do I Know If I Have Anti-Snap Locks Already?
The good news is that checking for anti-snap locks is pretty easy. If you bought the locks yourself, they would have been listed as snap-proof, anti-snap, or snap secure. However, if the doors were fitted prior to your arrival, you should take a closer look at them.
Generally, door locks fitted prior to 2011 will NOT include lock snapping protections. Lock snapping became a phenomenon around the 2010s, and solutions to lock snapping only came on the market in the years after this. So, locks produced after 2011 should have SS312 Diamond standards. However, cheaper locks are still on the market, and they lack SS312/TS007 3-star ratings.
Look For The Signs
Another benefit of having SS312 diamond-approved locks is that they should have a little sign on the lock itself. We recommend that you check out the lock you have online and find a vendor who sells it. If the lock has the gold and blue Sold Secure 2013 Lock Cylinders Diamond accreditation on its website listing, it should be good to go.
If you have a lock that is instead TS007 3-Star approved, though, it should have a visible sign on the lock. Look underneath where the key goes, and you should see something that looks like a kite—or, to some, more like a heart. If it has this little logo included with three stars above the kite/heart, then you can feel confident in saying that your lock is TS007-approved.
It is usually found on the front of the cylinder, but some find it on the side of the cylinder instead. Generally, though, this Kitemark is a sign that your lock is TS007 protected. SS312 Diamond locks do not have a similar aesthetic, so you will need to verify this independently.
Again, if you are unsure, contact a locksmith. They can review your locks and give you their opinion.
What Is The Best Option? SS312 Diamond Or TS007 3-Star?
So, it is important to note that there is not necessarily a right or wrong answer here. Both of these systems are highly regarded and remain the industry standard for verifying the quality of a lock mechanism. We recommend that you review options on both, as you will get varying prices that you can then choose from across the board.
Please note that both SS312 Diamond and TS003 3-Star approve some locks. This gives you confidence that the lock has passed both testing metrics. Locks with both certifications are the gold standard in the industry and can be trusted with little to no hesitation about their overall suitability.
The Third Way
If you are struggling to find a suitable TS007 3-Star/SS312 Diamond certified lock, you have another option on the market. Instead, you should be looking for a product, which is a 1-Star Kitemark lock that is then fortified with the installation of a 2-Star Door ‘Furniture’ (handles) protection. 1-Star Kitemark locks are solid, durable, and easy to use, but they lack in-built lock snapping protection. By fitting 2-Star door handles/furniture, though, you add the lock snapping protection at the same time.
The addition of a TS007 1-Star cylinder and TS007 2-Star furniture creates a 3-Star rating in its own right. Most find that this offers the same level of protection as having a TS007 3-Star lock fitted. However, we recommend that you never take a manufacturer’s word for it when it comes to their in-house rating; always look for third-party certification, especially through both certification groups.
Installing Your Anti-Snap Lock
We NEVER recommend that you install any lock snapping protections on your own. Professional support might cost you a few extra pounds, but the result is that you get the guarantee of safe and secure installation. However, even the professionals can make mistakes, so it pays to know what to look out for in terms of signs of an incorrect installation.
First off, your correctly installed anti-snap lock should be nice and flush to the door. Euro cylinder locks need to be correctly fitted on your doors. If your lock sticks out from the door, then it is safe to say that the lock has not been correctly installed by a professional who knows what they are doing. If the lock juts out from the lock itself, then this is a clear sign that you need the lock reinstalled.
The more exposed a lock is, the more prone it is to being snapped and broken through. Less exposure means more protection from simple lock-breaking techniques like lock snapping.
There is also the worry that your locks are not fitted correctly due to sizing. Many people who do DIY lock fitting buy a lock that is too big or too small. Too small means the lock can be easily manipulated, while locks which are too large for the door might not fit in the gap provided.
The general rule of thumb is that your lock should fit snugly into the space, leaving no gaps or feeling like it has to be forced into place. It should also sit no more than 3MM away from the handle. If your cylinder sticks out more than 3mm, then it is likely that the lock needs to be installed again. The secret to correct installation is that the lock must be flush to the door with no overhang, and it should not feel overly tight or overly loose when moved around.
Always Trust An Expert
We cannot recommend that anyone try to self-install a lock purely for the reasons listed above. It does not take long for a lock that is incorrectly installed to be taken on by a criminal who has the nous to snap your lock. If the lock looks more durable and meets the standards listed in this article, though, you should be able to discourage anyone from trying their luck to break in.
Locks that a professional locksmith installs will fit correctly into position and will not have an overhang problem. They will also be the correct size for the lock, meaning the lock will not feel tight or loose. If you are ever uncertain about installing a lock, then call a professional. Yes, sure, you pay a little more to hire their services, but you get the guarantee that the locks are fitted correctly.
A locksmith can also recommend other features, such as installing 2-star security handles, if they feel that you need that extra layer of protection.
Now that you understand why lock snapping is not something to ignore, it is time to review your door setup. Take a look at the locks closely and determine if they stick out or feel loose/tight. That should give you a better understanding of your need for new locks. If you cannot see your locks on the Sold Secure website or it does not have the 3-Star kitemark, contact a professional ASAP. The sooner you get your doors protected from lock snapping, the easier you can sleep at night!
