We all know that your front door is both a blessing and a curse. It’s an easy way for you to access your home, but if you don’t secure it properly it’s also the perfect entry point for burglars. That’s why most burglars will try the front door first. But they won’t just try the handle to see if it’s locked. they will also check the second big weakness of your front door – the letterbox.
What Is Letterbox Burglary?
Letterbox burglary is basically when a burglar uses the letterbox on your front door to either break into your property or steal your car keys from inside the property. There are a few different ways they can do this.
They can push their hand through the letterbox and try to reach around to unlock the door from the inside. Although they will typically only try this if your door handle is next to the letterbox. They can also use a gadget that’s a little bit like a cross between a fishing rod and a coat hanger. They will put this through the letter box and use the end to ‘fish’ for keys left lying around. Both of these methods can be really effective ways of gaining access to your home quickly, and leaving no signs of a break-in. It’s also a favourite trick of car thieves, who might even clone your keys and put them back, so that they can steal your car another day.
How Can You Prevent Letterbox Burglary?
Letterbox burglary is so simple and common that we’re always surprised that more people haven’t heard of it. Thankfully, there are a few ways that you can protect your home against letterbox burglary.
Keep keys out of plain sight: This is particularly important if you have a front door with glazed panels anywhere on it. But even if your door is completely solid, you should still get into the habit of keeping your keys out of sight. If in doubt, go outside and look through your letterbox to see – what’s visible, and what should be moved elsewhere.
Buy a draught excluding letterbox: These are the ones that come with rows of soft nylon bristles lining the inside. These help you out in two ways – first they keep the warmth in and the cold out, which is their main purpose. Second, they block the view into your home.
Install an anti-burglar letterbox: These letterboxes are specifically designed to prevent letterbox burglaries The latest versions are anti-vandal, anti-snap letterboxes that have gone through very rigorous testing to make sure they comply with the latest security standards, which means they are the best option you can choose to protect your home.
Remove your letterbox: Of course, you can just remove your letterbox altogether. You can either do this by blocking it up or by replacing your front door for one without a letterbox opening. Then, install an external mailbox on the house or property instead. This might not be practical for everyone given the cost, but it’s worth doing if you struggle with security or are looking to replace your front door soon anyway.
Sadly, burglars are always looking for new and easy ways to get inside your property, and they can be quite creative in order to do it. That’s why it’s so important to stay on top of all areas of your home security, even the ones you might not think of as a direct weakness. It’s the best way to ensure you don’t suffer at the hands of their latest dodgy technique. If you’re concerned about letterbox burglary, or you want to talk about your home security, just get in touch with the My Locks team today and we’ll be happy to help.