The key to being safe and secure is planning ahead – says locksmith doctor Gary

OVER the past few months – our homes have also become our offices and classrooms – so having 24/7 access to our property, and keeping it secure, has never been so important.

With winter on the way and the nights getting darker and colder, no one wants to be standing shivering on the doorstep as a result of a lost or broken key.

Or perhaps you have just moved house and are not sure who has had your keys cut before you.

Contrary to popular belief, there is much more to the role of a locksmith than coming to the rescue of someone a little worse for wear who has lost their key on the way home from the pub!

Because unique situations call for unique solutions, always call in the professionals – and the message from our own member locksmith is don’t wait until it becomes too late (or expensive) to call them out.

Safe Local Trades’ tried and tested Locksmith Doctor Gary Braesyde offers the key to a successful solution, in more ways than one – with a free call out charge, always going the extra mile for customers and the recent introduction of home security packages to his business.

Here are Gary’s top tips:

• If your locks are becoming stiff or troublesome, don’t wait until they stop working altogether or get your key stuck in the lock. Early intervention will be less costly in many cases.
• Owing to the many different types of locks, brands and unique scenarios faced by users, it is important for a fully-fledged locksmith to have the capacity to offer a variety of services and products that ensures each customer feels protected within their own home, their castle! It’s certainly not a case of ‘one size fits all’!
• If you have a window on or near your door, a thumb-turn deadbolt won’t do much good. Burglars could easily knock out the glass, stick a hand in, and turn. Get a double cylinder lock that needs a key on the inside.
• When you buy a new house, always have your locks re-keyed.
• Store all house and car keys away from your front door! You can have a key hook fitted inside your home or have a key safe fitted on the outside of your home. A letterbox cage or guard can be fitted additionally; this will help to deter a method of entry used by intruders called ‘Key Fishing’.
• Most burglars enter homes through poorly secured ground floor doors, so make sure your locks are up to the job; especially as we are on the approach to autumn and the days becoming shorter.