Published: Wednesday, 24th September, 2008 18:00
Danger doors 'could cost lives'
By Adam Hewitt
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MODERN doors designed to cut burglaries and deaths from fire do neither, says an ex-fireman.
When Titus Drummond had a new front door fitted he was amazed that it needed a key to be opened from the inside. He was so worried about locking himself and his family in at night that he took to single-locking his door, so that from outside the handle was secure but from inside the key was unnecessary –and within two weeks he was burgled.
Mr Drummond, of Delamere Road, Earley, said: “I couldn’t see what difference double locking the door made to anyone on the outside so I stopped double locking it. A couple of weeks later we were burgled.
“As an ex-firefighter I am not 100% sure that locking your door so that a key must be obtained, and the door physically unlocked before it can be used as an escape exit, is really such a good idea. I wonder if, as well as being burgled, people are dying because of this new type of door?”
The very common door design nevertheless has the backing of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), which runs an accreditation scheme called Secured by Design for doors, windows, alarms and other home security measures.
Reading’s police crime reduction adviser John McNicholas said there was no “perfect” front door because any design had to be hard to open to prevent burglaries, but easy to open in emergencies.
He said: “Our number one priority is security, while for the fire service it’s making sure people can get out of the house. There had to be a middle line drawn, and after discussions with the fire service the best compromise was the sort of deadlocked doors with inside handles. They should be double locked and the key left easily accessible for people inside.”
Fire service spokeswoman Ellie Gray said she had heard reports of homeowners worried about fire leaving their keys in the door, even though this makes letterbox burglaries particularly easy.
She said: “Don’t leave your keys in the door, but do have them nearby in a safe and accessible place.”
But Mr Drummond, now a merchant seaman after four years as a firefighter from 1977 to 1981, said the doors “almost appear designed to be the burglar’s friend” and added: “From a convenience point of view our new front door was a massive step backwards. I did ask the builders and supplier about a different type, but apparently there aren’t any.”
Police told him that burglars can see if a door is not double locked from outside, and can then use a tool that pulls down the handle through the letterbox.
Caversham has been hit with a recent spate of letterbox burglaries, and in one particularly bad week in Reading last month, 11 houses were targeted by letterbox burglars. Earlier this month police delivered 66,000 leaflets explaining how to prevent letterbox burglaries to homes across Reading.
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