Spadina Security Inc.

 Downtown Toronto's Locksmith 

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Don’t let a salesman sell you piece of mind.  Take ten minutes to survey your house or apartment to satisfy yourself that your home is secure.   The information on this page will guide you through the steps that our security consultants take when assessing the risk of break and enter.   Put yourself in the mind of the burglar.  Go outside your house and lock the door.  Put your keys in your pocket and forget about them.  Now how do you get in?  Is it easy?  Open window?  Unlocked back door?

These are the first things a burglar looks for when he scopes out your house looking for the easy target.  Burglars are lazy.  They would make more money per hour working at minimum wage.  They will forgo breaking into your house if it looks like hard work.

Let’s make them work.

First, examine your home and yard.  Is there a clearly marked path to your front door?  Do you have a fence that someone would have to climb over to get to your back or side door?  Do your lights work?  Are the bright enough that you can see if someone is in your yard at night?  Is your property clean and tidy?  Or are there toys and litter around that make it look like you don’t take care of your place?  Are there large bushes near the windows where a burglar could hide?

These first impressions must be addressed to ensure that you are not a target.  Read up on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design on the internet or in a library book.  See what professional psychologists and statisticians say about your chances of break and enter and your natural defenses.

Second, examine your door hardware.  Does is seem to work well?  Or is it old and falling apart.  Your lock is your best line of defense in keeping out would-be intruders.  Toronto Police recommend that you use a deadbolt lock on all exterior doors.  This lock has a bolt that protrudes one full inch from the door and goes into the door frame.  It is a “dead” lock because when the bolt is engaged it cannot be pushed back in.  Try this with your finger when the door is open.  Engage the lock and try to push back the bolt.  If it slides easily into the door or if it does not extend one full inch then have it repaired or replaced.

Examine the frame.  Ensure that the hole that the bolt goes into (the strike) is more than one inch deep – otherwise the bolt will not deadlock.  If necessary, drill the hole deeper.  Is the frame secure?  Has it been damaged by a past break-in?  Look for cracks.  An easy upgrade you can do to your strike is to remove the 1/2 inch trim screws that hold the metal strike plate in place and replace them with 3” wood screws.  This will make it harder for the door to be kicked in.      You can also have our locksmith install a high security strike plate (left).  Mul-T-Lock Hercular Deadbolt locks come with a box type high security strike plate (right).

Next check that the collar turns with a little bit of force.  This is a security feature.  If it does not turn the lock may be installed too tight.  Your key should have at least five cuts – this is the flat part on the blade of the key.

Spadina Security Incorporated has started to recommend that your lock have tougher features.  Key Control, Pick Resistance and Tamper Resistance are becoming more and more necessary as burglars acquire the knowledge and skills to defeat common locks.   All doors should be checked for the above criteria.  Remember Toronto Police recommends you install a deadbolt lock on all exterior doors.

The lock should have these minimum features:  

1.  One inch (1”) throw on bolt 2.  Bolt should be dead locking 3.  Lock should have a free-spinning collar 4.  The key should have a minimum of five (5) cuts

Ensure that all doors and windows are locked when you are home as well as when you leave.  Many burglars enter through an open –easy- entry point.

An alarm system is an effective method of letting you know when your security has failed.  Many people call a burglar alarm system a security system.  This is a fallacy.  Your security system includes all the elements you bring into play to keep your home secure.  A burglar alarm system will tell you when your security system has failed and an intruder is now in your home.

Using an alarm system to its full potential is rarely seen.  In addition to letting you know when your home is being broken into this electronic system can monitor your home for safety and property damage conditions.  Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors can be connected to your alarm system to contact emergency personal when you are in trouble.  Low temperature sensors and flood water sensors can alert you to potentially expensive problems allowing you to respond quickly and minimize your losses.  Alarm systems can even be helpful in preventing home invasions.  Most alarm systems have panic buttons on the keypad and additional panic buttons can be installed around the house.  When at home leave your alarm system armed in the perimeter only mode.  When you answer the door do not disarm the system.  If the person on the other side of the door does not have a good reason to come in tell them you have to close the door and turn off the alarm before the delay runs down or it will call for the police.  If the person forces their way in you don’t have to do anything and help is on the way.

A final word about safes.  Don’t tell anyone if you buy one.  Secrecy is the best security.  If people know you have a safe they will think you have something worth stealing and you will become a target.  It is a good idea to have a safe for your valuables adding another layer of security for the burglar to get through before he takes your property.

Please enjoy surfing through this site.  I hope you find it helpful and informative.  Hopefully I will also be able to sell you something along the way.

Now please click on products to see some of the products we offer for your home.