Burglars may try a number of methods to try and gain access to your home, including picking your lock. The most obvious signs your lock has been tampered with are visible dents and scuff marks around the key hole.
Lock picking is a combination of skill, training, practice, specialist tools and patience. However, trust us, that is not the profile of the typical UK burglar. UK burglars are not highly skilled, trained lock pickers. They are thugs who try and batter their way through your door and lock.
In many states, simple possession of lock picks is completely legal, as the statutes only prohibit the possession of lock picks or the activity of lock picking when there is a malicious intent.
Bump keys are specially cut keys that can bypass the security mechanisms built into traditional pin and tumbler locks. Bump keys are also referred to as “999 keys” because all of their ridges are cut to the maximum depth (999) in a key-making machine.
In the world of lock manufacturers, the name Abloy holds an exalted reputation. Their series of Abloy Protect 2 locks are near unpickable due to two key factors. The locks have advanced manipulation resistance, making them impossible to be picked.
Myth 2 | Lock picking is instantaneous
This is rarely the case. Even on very low-security locks, it could take 10 to 15 seconds to open the lock. For more complicated locks, it is more likely to take minutes. But all of this takes skill and success is not a given simply by virtue of using lock picks.
Look for locks that have a contoured shape for the internal pins or a side bar to help thwart any traditional lock-picking attempts on your home. You can also switch to one of the less common locks on the market, such as that of a dimple lock, tubular lock or rotating disc.
It can take anywhere from 7 seconds to 45 minutes for a locksmith to pick open a lock. Generally a locksmith should be able to unlock most doors in about 10 minutes. Of course this is effected by the type of lock.
Homes in high-visibility places, like on corner lots, are far less likely to be broken into. There are simply too many potential ways to be seen. But townhomes, houses in the middle of the block, or houses in a cul-de-sac are much better targets.
Your attic is not likely to be visited by a burglar because they are usually hard to find and access. So, it is always a good idea to store valuables in attic storage containers.
Aside from the master bedroom, the home office or study is one of the first places burglars check for valuables. You are most likely to keep your important documents in your office drawers, making them incredibly easy to steal and misuse.
Less than 2% of burglaries involve shimming or picking a lock. It's important to remember that burglary and robbery are different. Burglars intentionally enter a property without the lawful owner's consent to commit a felony or intent to steal.
Lock up personal information, valuables, and guns in a safe. Burglars look under the bed, in closets, in dresser drawers and medicine cabinets in your bathroom.
In most states, owning lock pick tools is only considered a crime if you use them illegally. In other words, the courts must show that you had intent to commit a crime. While most states have published statutes regarding lock pick tools, some states have written no laws on the subject, and so possession is not illegal.
One of the best ways to protect your home against break-ins is by ensuring that you have installed a deadbolt. A deadbolt makes it very difficult for burglars to enter your home as they will need special tools to break it.
Lock picking is the first and best method to unlock a deadbolt without a key. It is a popular choice for those who want to avoid damaging their door or lock. Lock picking is an easy skill to learn—the basics required to pick a standard pin tumbler deadbolt can be cultivated within 10 minutes.
If so it can be easily snapped! Lock snapping is one of the most common burglary methods, and it has been estimated around 27% of all burglaries are through snapping the lock. Lock snapping occurs when force is applied to the outside of the cylinder, using mole grips or similar.
One of the most common (and easiest to pick) locks is the pin-and-tumbler, which is a type of cylinder lock. Cylinder locks are used in most deadbolts. When picking a pin-and-tumbler lock, put the tension wrench in the keyhole and turn it as if it was a key.
Abloy Protec2 PL 330 Padlock
It is one of the only locks in the world that has never been picked. It has a hardened boron alloy steel shackle to provide resistance to bolt cutters (but is not bolt cutter proof). The padlock body is brass and the shackle and body are chrome plated, so it is very rust-resistant.
There are many ways in which lock picking can permanently damage a lock. Several common ways include breaking the springs, eroding internal components, or even breaking your pick in the keyway. For these reasons and more, you should never pick a lock that is currently in use.