The great weakness of houses and flats are usually poorly secured windows and doors. With most burglaries, the back of the building is the point of attack, but often also other windows, doors, cellar doors and cellar windows. For information on how you can better protect your house at these points, see our guide.
The intrusion security class is crucial
Well-secured buildings are particularly effective at scaring off opportunist burglars. Because they specifically search for houses that they can enter as safely and quickly as possible.
If they are not able get in within a few minutes, they usually give up. This is proven by police statistics. So it is best that you protect doors and windows well against a break-in. An important point of reference if provided by the intrusion security class, regulated in the standard DIN EN 1627.
What you need to know: The standard was revised in 2011 including the safety classes.
In older German windows and doors, the protection class is still indicated in “WK” (Widerstandklasse [resistance class]), in newer ones it is indicated in “RC” (resistance class).
Intrusion protection on windows: RC2 for private sector
Protection class RC2 is intended for the private sector. As intrusion protection, windows in this class have mushroom head pin fittings, burglar-proof glazing and usually a lockable window handle.
Opportunist burglars will need about 3 minutes to bypass a window like this.
Cheaper options are windows of protection class RC2 N. Here manufacturers go without the protective glass. However, as burglars rarely try to break the windows directly due to the fear of being heard in densely built-up areas, windows of this type are in certain cases an alternative. Also in upper floors, the installation of such windows may be sufficient as intrusion protection.
If you want your house to be particularly well protected against break-ins, then we recommend windows of resistance class RC3.
This class must withstand a break-in attempt with a second screwdriver and pry bar for at least five minutes.
Three tips for better intrusion protection for your windows
- Lockable window handles are in any case recommendable. Better still is a window handle lock with built-in alarm function: The lock provides mechanical resistance and also emits a loud alarm signal at the same time.
- Window tilt latches can be easily retrofitted. These additional locks ensure that windows and patio doors are effectively secured against break-ins even when tilted.
- Particularly vulnerable windows and patio doors can be reinforced with a window bar. This extra latch secures windows and doors by providing additional anchorage in the reveal. Levering and pushing will be much more difficult.
Intrusion protection at the door: It’s all about the lock cylinder
In the case of house doors, the same protection classes apply as for windows, therefore at least RC2.
At least as important for intrusion protection of the door is the choice of the lock cylinder and the door lock. It must be constructed in such a way that the offender can neither access with a wrong key, nor pull it out or break it. It also needs to withstand drilling attempts as long as possible.
You can recognise especially secure cylinders for example from the VDS seal which, depending on the class, have a certain degree of intrusion protection.
Two tips for better intrusion protection for your doors
- A protective fitting, which tightly encloses the lock cylinder and is bolted from the inside, protects both profile cylinders as well mortise locks additionally from being pulled out and drilled.
- Cross bolt locks, also known as tank latches, make it difficult to break or pry open the door, since they simultaneously protect the opening and the belt side.
Item image: Fotolia, 70521340, Brian Jackson
