Why Are Snap Secure Locks So Important?

What is Lock Snapping?

Lock snapping, or cylinder snapping has become one of the most common ways that burglars are gaining entry to properties. As the name suggests, lock snapping involves someone literally snapping the lock inside your door. Once the lock has been snapped, they can then manipulate the lock to open the door easily.

The act of lock snapping requires zero skill or training and can be done with very simple tools, making it an extremely easy way for thieves to enter a property.

West Yorkshire Police found that 25% of burglaries were carried out using this practice and considering that it can be done in as little as 5-10 seconds, with almost no noise, you can see why it has become so prevalent.

How Do I Know If I’m At Risk?

Euro lock cylinders are found on almost all uPVC doors, meaning that if you’ve got a uPVC door, it’s worth checking what cylinder you have installed. Many new builds will come with only basic or 1* cylinders installed and these offer zero protection against lock snapping.

It is not just residential properties that are at risk either, with a huge number of commercial properties also using euro cylinder locks on aluminium and composite doors.

Lock snapping is particularly prevalent in the North of England, but more and more police forces around the country are seeing examples of it, so it appears to be spreading.

What Lock Should I Have?

To ensure that you are protected against lock snapping, you want to go for the highest security euro cylinder available. The two most important certifications to look out for are the BS Kitemark 3 Star Logo and the Sold Secure Diamond Grade logo. If a lock has these two certifications, then you can rest assured that it is of the highest quality available.

Locks which have reached the Diamond grade of the Sold Secure testing have been tested to defend against lock snapping.

The APECS AP is a BSI KM 3*, Sold Secure Diamond Grade cylinder, making it the most secure cylinder available on the UK market. Having first been released into the UK market in 2018, we have continued to make improvements to the cylinder to meet our customer’s needs.

The AP cylinder has been designed to protect locks from all of the most common forms of attack. Whether someone is attempting to snap, pick, bump, drill or extract the plug, the AP provides the highest level of defence against all of them. The AP features 4 anti-pick pins on either side, a double locking mechanism with track rail pins to prevent bumping and an anti-drill pin on either side.

The AP also features a snap secure sacrificial point on the external side of the cylinder as well as our Patent Pending anti-snap protection. This anti-snap protection means that the lock is still operable from the inside when the lock is snapped externally, meaning that the burglar will not be able to gain entrance to the property, but the homeowner will still be able to use their key to exit.

The AP comes with a 10-year hardware guarantee, as well as a 5-year anti-snap guarantee, meaning that this cylinder has been built to stand the test of time!

Get in touch with us now to hear more about the APECS AP 3* Sold Secure Diamond Grade cylinder!