Lock Or Door Damaged After An Attempted Break-In

What's happening?

An attempted forced entry leaves a door in a state that looks worse or better than it is, and neither impression is reliable. A snapped euro cylinder can leave a door that still shuts and looks normal but no longer locks at all. A splintered frame around the keep can leave a lock that turns perfectly into wood that will not hold it. And an attempt that failed still tells you two things: your address has been looked at, and whatever they tried is what your door was weakest against. Once the police have what they need from the scene, the security repair is a locksmith's job: opening the door if it is jammed, making it secure the same day, and replacing what failed with something rated against the attack that was used.

What usually causes it?

• A euro cylinder snapped, drilled or bumped, leaving the multipoint inoperable
• The frame or keep split where the bolts were levered out of it
• A mortice lock forced, bending the bolt or breaking the box keep in the frame
• The door slab damaged or bowed where it was levered near the lock
• Hinges sprung or bent on an outward-opening door
• A door panel or glazing bead attacked beside the lock
• Keys fished through the letterbox, leaving the locks intact but compromised

Is it dangerous?

Treat it as an emergency. The house may be insecure right now, whether or not the door looks closed, and a lock that has been attacked has already shown it can be defeated. Report it to the police and get a crime reference number (insurers ask for one), and make the property secure the same day rather than overnight. If the door is jammed shut and it is the only way out, that is a fire risk as well as a security one.

Can I fix it myself?

Photograph everything before touching it, for the police and for your insurer. Beyond that, temporary measures only: bolts on the inside if you are staying in, and nothing that stops the door being opened from inside in a hurry. Do not fit a replacement cylinder yourself to a door that has been attacked without checking what else moved: a new barrel in a split frame is a lock with nothing to lock into.

When should you call a locksmith?

Call a locksmith the same day, and say it follows an attempted break-in so it is treated as an emergency. Ask for a total price before anyone travels: this is precisely the situation the MLA's warnings about bait-and-switch pricing describe, because you are under pressure and in a hurry. Where the door is unsecured, ask whether they can board or secure it on the first visit if parts are needed.

What will the locksmith actually do?

• Open the door non-destructively where it has jammed, and make the property secure immediately
• Assess the whole door: cylinder, multipoint or mortice, keeps, frame, hinges and slab
• Replace the failed lock with one rated against the attack used, such as an SS312 Diamond or TS 007 three-star cylinder
• Repair or reinforce split frames and keeps so new bolts have something solid to throw into
• Document what was damaged and what was fitted, so it supports an insurance claim
• Review the other external doors and windows, since the weak one is rarely the front

Who fixes this

• Break-in repair and boarding up
• Lock replacement

Questions people ask

Sources & References

1. Master Locksmiths Association: What is lock snapping and how to prevent it
2. Secured by Design: Crime prevention advice
3. ONS: Crime in England and Wales