A former Scotland Yard detective has released a video showing just how easy it is for a burglar to break into your home. Peter Bleksley says a series of “everyday mistakes” make British homes an easy target for opportunist thieves who exploit any sign of weakness to gain entry within seconds. He warns that millions of homeowners have no idea how many keys to their property exist, and that one in four young people have handed out a key they never got back.
Research reveals key risks
The detective has now released a video in conjunction with home security firm Ultion, which commissioned a nationwide OnePoll study to expose just how at risk British homes are. This found that 41% of Brits do not know exactly how many copies of their house keys are currently in circulation, raising the possibility that former partners, previous tenants, tradespeople, cleaners, neighbours or others could still have access to their property.
More than one in ten (13%) admit they have previously given somebody a key to their current home that was never returned. Even more concerningly, one in five (20%) have never changed their front door lock despite admitting they do not know who else may still have a key.
Relaxed attitudes despite risks
One in 20 Brits also say a previous owner could still have a key to their home, and one in 30 say an ex could. Yet people appear remarkably relaxed about the risk with almost half (44%) believing their home would be difficult for an experienced burglar to break into.
The findings form part of Ultion’s Britain’s Most Breakable Homes campaign, which has partnered with former undercover Scotland Yard detective and crime commentator Bleksley to expose the weaknesses that could make an otherwise ordinary home vulnerable to burglary.
Common security gaps
More than one in three (35%) have simply kept the lock that came fitted with their front door, while four in five (79%) do not know what security standard their front door lock meets. Some homeowners are also making life unnecessarily easy for would-be intruders. Fifteen per cent admit they still hide a spare key somewhere outside their property, in spots such as under plant pots or doormats, while 21% leave their keys in the lock on the inside of the door.
And despite changing the locks being one of the most effective ways of knowing exactly who can access a property, Brits rank getting their Wi-Fi set up above replacing their front door locks when they move into a new home. The findings also suggest homeowners could be dramatically underestimating how quickly a vulnerable property can potentially be entered. More than two in five (42%) have no idea how long it might take an experienced burglar to gain access to their home, while just 12% believe it could happen in under 30 seconds.
Bleksley said: “Most people think of burglary as somebody smashing a window or kicking down a door. In reality, experienced criminals are looking for the easiest, quietest and quickest way into a property. One of the first questions every homeowner should be able to answer is incredibly simple: who has a key to my house? If you have moved into a property and never changed the locks, handed keys out over the years that haven't all come back, or have copies floating around that you cannot account for, you simply don't have complete control over who could potentially access your home. Burglars don't want noise, confrontation, or delay. They want the easiest target. Anything homeowners can do to control access and make entry harder can help make their property less attractive.”
Ryan Christian from Ultion added: “We protect our bank accounts with passwords, our phones with facial recognition and our emails with two-factor authentication, yet millions of us cannot say with certainty who has a physical key to our front door. That is quite an extraordinary security blind spot. Moving house, losing a key, giving one to a tradesperson or having an old housemate move out are all moments when control over who can access your property can gradually disappear. Britain’s Most Breakable Homes is designed to make people look again at their first line of defence. Knowing who has access to your home and understanding the security of the lock protecting it should be as fundamental as setting the alarm when you leave.”
