We spend a lot of time in this industry talking about standards, ratings and test results. What we talk about less is how the people on the other side of the door actually feel about the products we fit.
Earlier this year, Ultion commissioned research into how women across the UK feel about safety at home. The findings were striking. Over two thirds of women say they feel less safe outside after dark during winter. More than a third have feared someone was watching them or following them to their door. And 40% say they would feel safer arriving home if they didn’t have to search for their keys on the doorstep.
That last statistic is the one that should get the attention of everyone in our industry. Because the moment a person is stationary at their front door, fumbling for keys in the dark, is the moment they are more exposed. It is also the moment where the products we specify can make a real difference.
The research also revealed something that should give anyone who fits standard cylinders pause for thought. Only 21% of women say they feel very confident that their front door lock would actually protect them in the event of a break-in.
That figure points to a significant gap between what homeowners assume about their security and what is actually on their door. Most people trust the products that have been fitted for them. That trust puts the responsibility firmly on the people doing the fitting.
The uncomfortable truth is that a significant proportion of the locks being fitted across the UK right now offer very little real resistance to a determined intruder. Lock snapping is one of the most prevalent break-in methods in the UK, widely documented by police forces, insurance bodies and security organisations across the country. A standard cylinder can be snapped in seconds using tools that are freely available and require no particular skill to use.
Most homeowners have no idea this is possible. Most assume that a lock is a lock. That assumption is what leaves so many homes vulnerable, and it is the reason the conversation at the point of fitting matters so much.
As the people who specify and install security products, we have both the knowledge and the responsibility to change that. When a customer asks for a new lock, they are trusting us to give them something that will actually protect their home and their family. That trust deserves better than a product that meets only the minimum standard.
Specifying a high security cylinder that is independently rated and tested to resist snapping, picking and drilling is not an upsell. It is the baseline. The conversation with the customer should not be whether to fit a secure lock, but which one best suits their door and their circumstances.
The research also highlights an opportunity. Homeowners who are made aware of the risks are receptive to better solutions. They are not reluctant buyers. They are people who want to feel safe and simply do not know what to ask for. Our job is to ask it for them.
The front door is one of the most important security points in any home. The product fitted to it should reflect that. When we specify high security locks as standard, we are not just improving a statistic. We are changing how someone feels every time they come home.
The least we can do is make sure the products we fit do the same.
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