A fundamental concept in providing good security is known as “Concentric Circles of Protection.” This concept states that the more layers of protection you provide between potential home burglars and your valuable assets, the better your home security will be.
These unexpected additional layers of security may frustrate burglars who were expecting to get in and out quickly, possibly causing them to abandon their efforts.
Locked interior doors should be used in conjunction with a locally audible electronic intrusion detection system.
Locking and reinforcing interior doors is a simple, yet effective, way to improve home security.
One way to provide an additional layer of home security is to lock one or more of the home interior doors along the path a criminal would need to travel to get to your most crucial personal assets.
For example, in a home, the primary bedroom closet is one of the first places a burglar is likely to go because of the valuable assets that are stored there. Locking the interior door to the primary bedroom provides an obstacle that can slow the burglar down after entering the home. Locking the door to the primary bedroom closet in addition to the door to the bedroom itself, provides yet another barrier, further delaying the burglar.
These unexpected additional layers of security may frustrate burglars who were expecting to get in and out quickly, possibly causing them to abandon their efforts.
The following are recommendations for securing home interior doors:
- Many interior doors in homes are hollow-core wood doors. These doors provide very little security. It is recommended that hollow-core home interior doors be replaced with either solid-core wood doors or hollow-metal doors.
- Doors should be equipped with a heavy-duty deadbolt lock with a high-security lock cylinder.
- Door and frame reinforcement kits should be used to reinforce wood doors and frames.
- Out-swinging doors that have hinges on the outside of the door should be equipped with non-removeable hinge pins that can’t be removed by a burglar.
Locked interior doors should be used in conjunction with a locally audible electronic intrusion detection system.
Locking and reinforcing interior doors is a simple, yet effective, way to improve home security.
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