Learn to lock

During the winter months, security always becomes an issue for homeowners. This I now know myself after moving in just before Christmas, my own priorities for my own home was having the doors and windows changed. The existing doors and windows were very poor to say the least, so I had them very swiftly swapped over. Now they have been changed, I feel a lot better about leaving the house.

I had new PVC doors installed. I’m sure the anti-PVC brigade would have recommended me buy some other material of doors due to “improved looks” and “better security”. But this hate against PVC doors and their myths of being insecure is something which has always irritated me.

During last winter, the police issued regular releases talking about opportunistic burglaries facilitated by PVC doors. See http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/police-warning-householders-after-burglary-6860533 and http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/more-news/police-warning-to-lock-up-as-homes-hit-1-5651829. Both articles which show PVC in a less than positive light. But opportunistic burglaries can happen to any door, no matter the materials type. The key here is to educate people on how to lock!

Demonstrate how to lock

It might sound a bit patronizing towards the end user, an installer giving a step by step guide on how to lock a door, but this simple and two minute step could very simply be the reason why a burglar doesn’t get in through this door. You can have the best door in the world, with a million hook bolts, dead bolts and anti-everything cylinder. But if the end user is unsure on how to use it, then all the above becomes useless.

Specifically, I am thinking of people who have always used a timber door, where suddenly a modern PVC door is alien to them. Or elderly people who struggle to physically lock a new door, or remember how to lock it. It might sound a bit harsh, but these people are out there, and it is down to us as an industry to make sure that everyone, not just the vulnerable ones, are absolutely 100% sure on what their PVC does and how it operates. At risk is the reputation of PVC doors with the wider public.

What we want to prevent in the future are the types of reports from the Police saying that burglars are targeting PVC doors because they think they are easier to break into over types of doors. The simple fact is, if a person doesn’t know how to lock an aluminium or timber door, then they are just as at risk as a PVC door. It has nothing to do with the materials.

So, lets spread the knowledge of PVC doors out there to everyone, and lets stop giving the anti-PVC crews fuel for their arguments!

This article has been written on behalf of Value Doors UK – however these are the views of Double Glazing Blogger and are not necessarily the views of Value Doors UK. To find out more about those options or about Value Doors UK in general, please visit their website: http://www.valuedoors.co.uk/ or contact them on 0800 955 0898.