As a Burglary Prevention Company and Ex-Police officers we have found that there is very little information regarding this method of entry. This article will provide you with the vital information required to make a self assessment of your current window glass to establish if you are vulnerable to this method of entry.
Firstly, it is important to understand why having the correct glass installed is vital in the battle against the Burglar. All criminals/thieves favour the following three methods of entry over any other Lock snapping, Sneaking in and Glass Smashing.
The majority of you have toughened glass currently installed in your homes to conform to standard building regulations. Some only have clear float glass, which are single pane or old Double Glazed Units.
Burglars “Pop” standard toughened glass (BS EN 12150) by puncturing a hole usually in one of the four corners of the panel by using a tool such as a screwdriver.
This significantly weakens the glass and causes cracking. The burglar then simply uses their hands to press the weakened toughened glass to ensure it falls into small blunt pieces. They always wear gloves to prevent forensic opportunities (Blood) and to prevent injury to themselves.
As EX-Police officers with over 40 years of Police experience we know how and why criminals target your home. Armed with information readily available from open sources such as the internet, criminals know exactly what to look for when it comes to your home’s vulnerability and poor security.
We can provide you with the knowledge and products to keep your home secure including fitting laminated glass to replace your standard toughened glass windows.
We invite you to read our article on glass smashing burglary prevention to give you more detail into this preferred burglary method.
It‘s important to understand that toughened glass is designed with safety in mind. If this type of glass panel is smashed it will ensure any person in the close vicinity will not be injured. Toughened glass is not designed to withstand a significant manual attack.
A Burglar will target your Patio/ French Doors that have a large glass panel installed because it will provide the thief with a large, easy entry and exit area.
SheffLOCK advise you to install glass panels with Window Laminate in the most vulnerable areas of your home.
Toughened Laminated Glass is made from two or more annealed sheets or heat treated and bonded together. Laminated glass, when struck does not break away. It sticks to the plastic type coating which ensures it stays safely in place and secure. This makes it an extremely effective defence against glass smashing attempts.
The glass “Popping” method mentioned earlier does not work with laminated glass installed. SheffLOCK advise home owners to pay more attention on having the correct Glass Standard in place rather than CCTV and House Alarms. The latter are “extra layers” rather than true preventative measures.
In accordance with Section 7 of British Standards 6262-4:2005, glass is required to be permanently marked to its particular standard so that it is clearly seen after it is installed.
Laminate glass is essentially the same glass used in car windscreens and is designed to stay together upon impact and not shatter making this product an excellent and essential security product.
Should you wish to know any further information about the above topics please feel free to contact us.
SheffLOCK have made the laminated glass price affordable due to there being no need to replace the window frames when upgrading to laminate glass. The double glazed BS EN 14449 units are cut to size and fitted by qualified tradesmen.
