Most kick-in burglaries defeat the door frame around the keep, not the lock itself. A security strike plate and frame reinforcement kit — fitted in under two hours — changes this. Here is what to do.
Why Your Lock Is Only Half the Security Equation
Most residential kick-in break-ins do not defeat the lock — they defeat the door frame around it. When a door is forcibly entered, the failure point is almost always the keep plate area: the thin metal plate set into the frame that the deadbolt or latch engages with. Standard residential keep plates are fixed with short screws into softwood timber. Under a determined kick, they pull out.
A high-security TS007 cylinder on a frame that fails at the keep offers the same protection as a standard cylinder. The chain is only as strong as the weakest link.
Security Strike Plates
A security strike plate replaces the standard keep plate with a much longer plate — typically spanning 300–600mm — fixed with long screws (75–100mm) that penetrate through the door frame into the structural masonry behind. This distributes impact force across a far larger area.
Quality security strike plates from Mul-T-Lock, Brisant and specialist suppliers cost £20–£40 for the product. Fitting takes 30–60 minutes. The improvement in kick-in resistance is substantial.
This is the single most cost-effective door security upgrade after an anti-snap cylinder.
Hinge Bolts
Hinge bolts are fixed metal pegs fitted to the hinge side of the door that engage with the frame when the door is closed. They prevent the door being levered open from the hinge side — relevant for inward-opening doors where hinges are visible from outside.
Anti-Jemmy Strips
Anti-jemmy bolts (fitted to the lock edge of the door) prevent a crowbar being inserted to lever the door away from the frame. On older South London terraced properties where the gap between door and frame has widened over time, these are particularly worthwhile.
Frame Reinforcement Kits
For older properties where the timber frame is itself weakened by age or previous repairs — common in Victorian and Edwardian terraces throughout Dulwich, Camberwell and Herne Hill — a full door frame reinforcement kit wraps the hinge and latch sides with steel channel, significantly increasing resistance to any forced entry method.
How to Get This Done
TrustLock can fit security strike plates and assess your frame reinforcement needs on the same visit as any cylinder or lock replacement. We carry stock of security strike plates for immediate fitting. Call 07984 547185.