You install doors and door locks to keep your home and family safe. When the locks work properly, you can be away from your nest for days or months without worrying much about its condition. You trust the locking systems to keep all the potential intrusion efforts at bay. However, imagine you return home after a long day at work, and something at the front door suddenly draws your attention. You doubt something is awry. That fear or stress is for real. Some homeowners ignore these things and continue to live their daily lives until a major break-in event unfolds. Please consider the feeling you experience when you look at the entry door. It's time to act promptly to shoo away the looming danger. Let's see what you can do.
Signs of door lock tampering
Sometimes, it takes time to realize if something has happened. But the red flag is when your door lock suddenly becomes quirky and doesn't function as it used to. If you struggle with turning the key in, look for visible damage marks. Call a locksmith Hillsboro Oregon to fix the lock and hope that it's just a case of a malfunctioning door lock and no threat. However, unnatural wear and tear on the lock hints at attempted burglary. If the burglar bashes in the door lock, kicks the door or tries drilling the deadbolt, some physical signs will be obvious, such as wood splinters on the floor, warped door frame, damaged latches or deadbolts, etc. Have you heard of lock-picking?
It refers to gently tampering with the lock without causing any visible marks. In this traditional burglary method, the culprits use a flat screwdriver or a small pick to contact the pin tumblers so they can help release the door lock. Due to a bit of wiggling of the tools inside the lock, the edges can become affected. When you struggle to turn the key in, look around for metal marks and scratches near the keyhole. Although these are challenging to spot, you can find something with a little extra effort.
If you talk to an experienced commercial lock repair locksmith, you will learn that burglars also use other methods to open locks. They call this technique bumping, accomplished using a regular filed-down key with pointed teeth. They put the dummy key into a compatible keyhole to get the pin tumblers. Again, finding the traces of such an action can be challenging. However, fresh cuts and shiny edges around the keyhole metal plate can be telltale.
The appropriate actions to prevent burglary attempt
Collect evidence by searching for missing, broken, or stolen items. Talk to the police for help. You will also need help with fixing all the locks. So, contact a local locksmith whom you can trust.
Home safety and security experts suggest periodically upgrading all the lock systems and reinforcing the doors and windows as the best practices anyone can adopt to maintain their home's integrity. Adding extra security features in and around the house is also a good idea to thwart any intrusion attempts.
