Clearview National September 2015 - Issue 166 | Page 64

hardware& security

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Meeting the Lock Attack Challenge
»»Michael Skelding, general
manager and secretary of the Door and
Hardware Federation talks to Clearview about
the latest developments within the industry.
UK police are continuing to warn
householders about the vulnerability of
domestic entrance door locks which burglars
can defeat in seconds in order to break-in.
They are advising householders to have their
locks inspected professionally, especially those
found on front and back doors made from
PVCu and composite materials, which form
a high proportion of domestic entrance doors
in the UK.
The Door & Hardware Federation is
advising locksmiths and security professionals
that householders are becoming increasingly
aware of cylinder snapping.
The method exploits a weakness in euro
cylinders which is typically used in locks and
found fitted to PVCu and composite doors.
Manufacturers have met the challenge and
now offer a wide range of lock cylinders
and door handles which provide enhanced
resistance against cylinder snapping and other
forms of lock attack.
According to West Yorkshire police, cylinder
snapping is used in 20-25% of all burglaries in
their region. Police forces in other areas of the
country are warning householders that their
homes could be at risk from this form of attack.

64 » SE P 2015 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M

It is estimated there are 45 million
residential entrance doors in the UK. Almost
70% of these have a euro cylinder at the heart
of the lock and so are vulnerable to snapping
and other methods of lock attack which have
been revealed extensively on the internet.
In response, we, on behalf of the UK lock
industry, have worked with BSI, Secured by
Design and other industry organisations to
develop standards for up-rating cylinders and
door handles.
Locksmiths and security professionals
should look for either the TS 007 Kitemark
or the PAS 3621 Kitemark specification to

ensure resistance against lock snapping. If, the
complete door assembly has been certified to
PAS 24 specification, then the cylinder will
already be secure against snapping and other
forms of lock attack and the cylinder will not
need changing.
The TS 007 standard uses star ratings
and is subject to certification by the BSI
Kitemark. TS 007 is a three star solution.
Security to the TS 007 standard can be
achieved by either a combination of a
cylinder (marked with one star) and security
door furniture such as a strengthened door
handle (marked with two stars); or a “super
cylinder” (marked with three stars) that
successfully resists snap attack without the
need to fit a strengthened door handle. In
both cases, the same degree of resistance
against attack is provided.
The PAS 3621 specification is designed
specifically for entrance doors which have
multipoint lock mec hanisms and is also
subject to certification by the BSI Kitemark.
On doors which can only be locked from the
outside, the equivalent lock specification is
PAS 8621. A multipoint lock tested to PAS
3621 and PAS 8621 will guard against lock
snapping and other methods of lock attack.
For more information visit
www.dhfonline.org.uk