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Peter Corlett

PeterCorlett

Peter Corlett is the Marketing & Business Development Manager at Lincoln Security, a provider of domestic and commercial security solutions.


— Peter Corlett is the Marketing & Business Development Manager at Lincoln Security, a provider of domestic and commercial security solutions. Over the next four weeks, Lincoln Security will give out useful tips and advice to keep your property and possessions safe and sound. In this final column, he looks at lock “bumping” and “snapping” and what you can do to eliminate this potential vulnerability.


Many homes, offices and business in the UK are at risk from bumping/snapping but may not know it, but what exactly is lock bumping/snapping? Lock bumping is technique whereby certain locks can be forced open with a specially prepared “bump” key and any suitable hitting tool, often in a matter of seconds.

According to Lincolnshire Police, it is estimated that over 22 million doors across the UK could be at risk from a method of attack where the lock cylinder can be broken in just five seconds. Although for obvious reasons the exact tools or methods used by burglars to snap the Euro-Profile style cylinder should not be revealed, knowledge of how to do so is widespread and increasingly used nationally.

Which locks are at risk?
Most locks containing a pin tumbler mechanism can be ‘bumped’ or ‘snapped’ such as Rim, Euro or Oval profile cylinders found typically on UPVC doors. The problem is a fundamental weakness to the design of the cylinder.

Can I tell if my Lock has been bumped?
In most cases, no. It can be difficult to tell if the lock has been bumped then the key used often leaves little or no evidence. Lock ‘snapping’ however is obvious as the cylinder will be evidently broken or tampered with.

How Can I Prevent my Locks from being bumped?
The best way to prevent lock bumping is to gain the advice from a professional. For some time now the quickest and most cost effective solution is to upgrade basic cylinder locks to security enhanced Anti-Snap/Bump Cylinder locks, which been designed to remain secure in the event of attack. With an Anti-Snap Cylinder, if unreasonable force is applied to one end of the cylinder, it only breaks away to the anti-snap line and leaves the locking mechanism still inside the door and therefore leaving the door securely locked.

It is worth checking with your insurer if you are considering a replacement lock. Cylinders should meet all parts of the exacting British Standard Kitemark (BS EN 1303:2005) accreditation.

Peter Corlett is the Marketing & Business Development Manager at Lincoln Security, a provider of domestic and commercial security solutions.

— Peter Corlett is the Marketing & Business Development Manager at Lincoln Security, a provider of domestic and commercial security solutions. Over the next four weeks, Lincoln Security will give out useful tips and advice to keep your property and possessions safe and sound. This week, Peter looks at simple checks you can carry out to make sure your home is secure.


In today’s difficult times, it’s important to make sure your home is safe from thieves. Having been in the security industry since 1974 we’ve seen a lot of change, and unfortunately with the current economic downturn, it is more apparent than ever that crime is increasing.

With this in mind, here are some simple measures to keep your homes and valuable possessions safe.

Think like a criminal

Have a walk round the outside of your house. Do you have a fence? Is it in good repair? Is it easy to climb over your fence, or for instance do you keep your wheelie bins next to it?

Are the locks on your windows and doors in good repair? Do you leave your windows open during the day? It is especially important to keep windows closed on the ground floor of the premises and windows on the first floor with easy access from the ground.

Repeat this process when it’s dark. Is your garden well lit at night? Security lights with motion sensors can be an ideal solution because they sense motion and illuminate the area, thus startling any intruder. You also have the benefit of not having the cost of running the light at all times. Intruders at night rely on the cover of darkness and simply adding this can increase the security of your premises dramatically.

Consider an intruder alarm. Intruders will often walk along a street looking for vulnerable premises, and one of the first things they check for is an alarm sounder on the front of the premises. The other benefit of an alarm system is that the intruder will trip the sounder on entering the premises, vastly reducing the likelihood of them searching your home. Alarm systems can be designed to call mobile phones on activation or go through to monitoring stations so the police will attend on activation.

Have a walk through the rooms of your house. Do you have valuable electronic equipment on display? Do you leave cash or jewellery lying around, or hang your car keys next to the main entrance door? Would a potential burglar see a treasure trove of items if they looked through your windows? Don’t make your home a shop window for thieves by making sure your valuables are well hidden, or kept in a lockable safe you can lessen the impact of a burglary.

These simple steps could potentially help to make the difference in keeping your home safe.

Peter Corlett is the Marketing & Business Development Manager at Lincoln Security, a provider of domestic and commercial security solutions.