What the Police say

FLIMSY door locks are allowing burglars to plunder homes in Yorkshire a police chief has warned.

 

In the last year homes in the local area have been targeted by thieves forcing open the cheap euro-profile locks on uPVC doors.

 

Sir Norman Bettison, chief constable for West Yorkshire Police, told the Examiner homes were at risk because it took just a matter of seconds to disable the locks.

 

He said police had not wanted to draw attention to the issue up to now because they did not want to alert criminals to the security weakness.

 

But he said the practice was becoming so commonplace that the public needed to be warned.

 

Sir Norman said: "The level of burglaries is worrying and our analysis shows a significant proportion of it, about one in four of all burglaries in West Yorkshire, is because of cheap euro-profile locks, which are used extensively in uPVC doors."

 

"Young burglars have realised how easy it is to attack these locks."

 

"We haven't talked about this because we didn't want to give potential burglars any ideas they didn't already have, but we have now said we need to take a strategic position because it is widely known about within the criminal fraternity."

 

"The general householder isn't aware of the vulnerability of the locks I'm now wanting to raise the consciousness of the general public about this as a problem."

  

In the last six months, there were 1,606 house burglaries in the area.

 

That was 6.4% more than during the same period last year and more than 50% more than in the same period in 2005, when there were 1,047.

 

Incidents in which euro-profile locks have been forced open have contributed to the rise.

 

Sir Norman said: "The locks should be changed for more secure locks and private householders need to be aware that the euro-profile locks are very vulnerable."

Nov 3 2009, Huddersfield Daily Examiner