 
Security Caught on Tape By Frank Fourchalk
You may have caught the news a week ago about a 91year old Burnaby man (Tom) who was beaten and robbed by a home invader. The story ran Thursday and Friday on Global and CTV. Thursday's broadcast reported that Tom heard glass breaking at his kitchen door.
When he went to investigate he saw the intruder reach in through the door's broken window and enter his home. After being assaulted, Tom granted the perpetrator's demand for money. Friday's news showed concerned neighbors displaying their support by dropping flowers and gifts off at Tom's door
To think some low life would pick on a defenseless 91year old man makes my blood boil. But even more disturbing was what I saw when reviewing the media footage. The newscast video showed a close up of Tom's kitchen door after the attack. I noticed the door had broken glass in the top third of it with two locks securing it. One lock was a regular key in knob style and above that was a double cylinder deadbolt.
A double cylinder deadbolt is a deadlocking bolt with a key on the inside and outside. This deadbolt was specifically designed to deter an intruder from breaking glass, reaching in and opening the door. To Tom's credit he had the correct type of deadbolt on his kitchen door. So how did an intruder get into his house?
I can only assume Tom did not lock the deadbolt or he left the keys on the inside of the lock when unattended. I realize this could happen at any age, however if we want to stay safe in our homes we must remember to secure all locks and remove any inside keys.
If Tom had secured his door properly, an intruder would not have been able to enter his home so easily. Once the culprit smashed the glass and realized he couldn't turn any lock releases from the inside of the door, he may have bolted.
However second guessing this incident is irrelevant to what happened. We can only learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others. So if you find yourself living in an "It will never happen to me" world, take my advise and lock your doors.
If you're forgetting to lock your doors, make sure you post signs on all locking doors as a reminder. If you have a door like Tom's and don't want to install double cylinder deadbolts because of the fire egress risk, make sure you replace the glass in the door with a polycarbonate which will withstand all the punishment a burglar could dish out. Lexan makes a great product which is available at you local glass company.
Metal grills are another way of stopping the bad guys from busting through glass. You can usually purchase these grills from companies that install security bars and gates.
So please don't forget to secure all your door locks. And if you ever hear broken glass in your home, don't investigate, leave your home immediately and seek refuge at a neighbours where you can call 911.
Upload date:
April 11, 2008 2:56 PM
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