Burglar Alarm vs Locks Priority | Spend in the Right Order
Alarms react. Locks prevent. Here's why most homes in Southborough and the TN postcodes get the spending order backwards, and what to do instead.
The alarm industry has done a brilliant job of convincing homeowners to pay £30 a month forever for a device that calls someone after a burglar is already inside. Locks, which stop the burglar getting in at all, rarely come with a subscription. Funny, that.
The actual sequence of a break-in
Most residential burglaries in Kent aren't sophisticated. A burglar tries the door, tests the lock, and either gets through in under a minute or moves on. The average attempt on a cylinder lock with no snap protection takes about 30 seconds. A monitored alarm doesn't change that 30-second window at all. By the time a signal reaches a monitoring centre, a response driver is dispatched, and anyone actually arrives, the job is done and the van is on the A26.
A lock that resists the attack means there's nothing to respond to.
What the standards actually test
This matters because the test regimes are not equivalent.
| Product | Standard | What it tests |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-snap cylinder (e.g. Ultion, Avocet ABS) | TS007 3-star | Snap, pick, drill, bump, extract under timed attack |
| High-security deadlock | BS3621 or BS8621 | Pick, drill, saw, bolt strength, key security |
| Alarm PIR / siren | Usually none mandatory | Manufacturer self-declaration in most cases |
| Alarm system (grade) | EN50131 | Signal reliability, tamper detection. Not physical attack resistance. |
TS007 3-star and BS3621 test what happens when someone physically attacks your door. EN50131 tests whether the box sends a signal reliably. These are not the same problem.
The sensible order of spending
For a typical semi on Holden Park Road or a terrace off London Road in High Brooms, here's what the money should do, in order.
- Cylinder first. If your front door has a standard Euro cylinder with no TS007 rating, that's the single most exploitable point on your property. An Ultion or Avocet ABS 3-star cylinder costs roughly £60 to £90 fitted. That's it. One payment, no subscription, tested resistance to the actual method most burglars use.
- Door furniture and multipoint lock. A good cylinder in a door with a failing GU or Maco multipoint that doesn't engage properly is still a weak door. Get the mechanism checked.
- Back door and any secondary entry points. A BS3621 five-lever mortice on a timber back door, or a decent cylinder on a second uPVC door. Sorted.
- Then, if you want one, an alarm. Not as a substitute for the above. As an additional deterrent and an early warning for when you're inside at night. Both are legitimate uses. Just not as a replacement for a lock that works.
The obvious objection
"But alarms deter burglars before they even try."
Fair. A visible bell box on a house in Bidborough or Speldhurst probably does put some people off. Deterrence has value. But a TS007 3-star cylinder is also a deterrent, because a burglar who tests your door and finds it doesn't snap isn't going to stand there working on it. The difference is that the cylinder deters and prevents. The alarm only deters, and only if the burglar notices it first.
The honest caveat
If you're in a higher-risk property, a large detached with multiple entry points in a more isolated spot near Langton Green or out towards Hildenborough, an alarm earns its place sooner in the list. And if you've already got solid locks throughout, an alarm is a sensible next layer. Layering is fine. The problem is when the alarm is layer one and the cylinder is still factory-standard from 2009.
Get the lock right first. It's cheaper, it's a one-off cost, and it works whether anyone's monitoring anything or not.
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If you're not sure what cylinder or lock you've currently got, Locks Local covers Southborough and the TN postcodes. We can usually get to you in under 30 minutes, we'll tell you exactly what you have, what it's rated, and what it would cost to upgrade. Pricing is given honestly on the call, before we start.
Priya Nair, Security and standards specialist
Priya is the one who reads the test reports. She handles the survey work, the insurance questions and anything where the British Standard actually matters, and she will happily explain why the number on the box is not the number that counts.
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