We’re going to save you a lot of trouble and time with this short article…
Anytime you see a news article about some new way to break into a lock, whether it be for a certain type of vehicle, brand of lock, etc. it’s a puff piece. You never have to pay attention to that kind of article or “news” again. It’s not news, it never has been.
LOCKS ARE DETERRENTS, NOT PREVENTATIVES.
There is no such thing as a lock that cannot be broken into or gotten around. There is no such thing as a secure lock. Never has been. Don’t go complaining that this simply isn’t true because you’ve got a safe that can’t be broken into, etc. We’re talking every day locks here, not specialty equipment for firearms or what have you.
The only question you should ever ask yourself when purchasing something that has a lock on it is,
Is this enough of a pain in the ass that a thief will not have time to break it open before someone notices, and/or is it heavy or big enough that they won’t just pick it up and leave with it.
On to the examples of how to get around locks:
Door Locks – Bump, or alternatively… just kick the door in if you don’t care.
Luggage Locks – You can break a zippered bag open with any pointy object… most of the time this includes a pen.
Pad Locks – You can rip apart any lock with a hammer, pick it, or just chop most locks off with bolt cutters. I’m not even going to go into just skipping the lock altogether and busting open the container instead.
Car Vehicle Locks – You can still jimmy open most car doors with a coat hanger. Sure you may have a fancy alarm on your car, but most cars are broken into to steal items from… not to steal the vehicle. A glove and a key is enough to break the windows in most cars, and a motivated thief will already know what they want before they break in. So, by the time anybody even notices the car alarm… your stuff is already gone. Even further, it’s pretty easy for most somewhat skilled car thieves to grab key codes on the fly for most cars with keyless entry, etc. If you don’t want something stolen, don’t leave it in your car.
Safe Locks – While it’s great to have a small safe with a lock on it… most smart criminals will probably just steal your little safe, and take it with them to break open later.
This reporting relies on your fears and worries about your security, and if you’re not paying attention you’ll fall for it over and over again. Take a moment now, realize nothing you own is not easily stolen or broken into. Absorb it…. Aaaand you’ll probably get back at least an hour a month of your time either reading articles or watching news and commercials that prey on some sense of security that was never real in the first place. An hour a month may not seem like a lot, but over a year that’s 12 hours you could be spending doing something you really want to be doing.ƒ
