What Is Lock Snapping and How Does It Work?

As a locksmith company in Leeds with over 15 years experience, 1st Defence Locksmiths Leeds have attended hundreds of burglaries where lock snapping was the method used to gain entry. In that time, we’ve seen how quickly and easily a burglar can get through a standard euro cylinder lock. In this article we’ll explain exactly what lock snapping is, how it works, why so many homes are vulnerable, and most importantly what you can do to protect yourself.

What Is Lock Snapping?

Lock snapping is a method of forced entry that exploits a structural weakness in standard euro cylinder locks. Euro cylinders are the type of lock fitted to the vast majority of uPVC and composite doors in the UK.

While the multipoint locking systems on uPVC doors are genuinely strong and secure, the euro cylinder itself is often the weakest point of the whole door. Lock snapping targets this weakness directly.

The technique has been around for years and is well known to locksmiths and the police. Unfortunately, it is now also well known to burglars.

Lock Snapping Statistics in Leeds 

Thankfully the number of lock snapping burglary's is now falling across Leeds due to the number of homes now fitted with anti snap locks. West Yorkshire Police outline in their freedom of information request a drop from 2148 lock snapping burglaries and a further 763 attempted burgalies in 2014 to 677 lock snapping burglaries and 207  attempted in 2023. You can read the Freedom of information request here. Unfortunately the data doesn't go past 2023.

How Does Lock Snapping Work?

The process is straightforward and takes very little time or skill to carry out. That is what makes it such a popular method with burglars.

Step 1: Snapping the cylinder

All euro cylinders have a natural weak point where the lock is fixed to the multi point lock through a central hole in the lock cylinder. Burglars exploit this by gripping the exposed part of the cylinder with a simple tool such as a pair of grips or a snap tool and applying force. This causes the cylinder to snap cleanly at the weak point.

Step 2: Accessing the mechanism

Once the outer section of the cylinder has been removed, the inner cam of the lock is exposed. This is the small rotating component that controls the locking and unlocking of the door. With the cylinder snapped, this cam can be manipulated directly with a screwdriver without needing a key at all.

Step 3: Opening the door

With the cam manipulated the door can be opened in seconds. The entire process from start to finish can take under 30 seconds in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing. There is no smashing, minimal noise and no need for specialist equipment. Just a couple of cheap hand tools that anyone can buy.

Why Are So Many Doors Vulnerable?

The problem is widespread because euro cylinders are fitted to almost every uPVC and composite door in the UK. When these doors are manufactured and sold, the marketing focuses on the strength of the multipoint locking system. What often goes unmentioned is that the cylinder supplied with the door is sometimes just a basic grade component with no specific anti-snap protection built in. The good news is that more and more newer doors are coming with some form of anti snap lock as standard. But don't take it for granted that just because your door is fairly new that it definitely has an anti snap lock fitted.  

A significant number of homes still have these standard cylinders fitted. Unless you have specifically upgraded to an anti-snap rated cylinder, there is a very good chance your door is vulnerable.

If you are not sure whether your current lock is a standard cylinder or an anti-snap rated one, we offer a free check. We can visit your property and tell you exactly what you have fitted and whether it needs upgrading.

How Can I Tell If My Lock Is Vulnerable?

There are a couple of things to look for on your existing cylinder.

First, check how much of the cylinder protrudes beyond the door furniture on the outside of the door. If more than 3mm of the cylinder is exposed beyond the handle surround, it is more vulnerable to being gripped and snapped. This is one of the most common installation oversights.

Second, look for a star rating stamped on the face of the cylinder. A 3 star British Standard Kitemark rating means the lock has been tested and rated for anti-snap resistance. If there are no stars at all, the lock is likely a basic grade cylinder with no anti-snap protection.

If you are unsure what you are looking at, do not worry. As mentioned above we are happy to come and check for free.

What Should You Do About It?

The solution is straightforward. Upgrading from a standard euro cylinder to a quality anti-snap rated lock eliminates the vulnerability entirely. A good anti-snap cylinder is specifically engineered so that if the outer section is snapped off, the lock goes into a secure mode rather than exposing the internal lock mechanism. The door stays locked even with part of the cylinder removed.

It is a quick and cost-effective upgrade. In most cases the whole job takes around 20 to 30 minutes and causes no damage to the door at all.

We only ever fit top quality anti-snap cylinders from reputable manufacturers. If you want to understand which locks we recommend and why, take a look at our article on the best anti-snap locks where we go through our top three picks in detail based on years of hands-on experience fitting them.

If you are ready to upgrade or would like us to come and check your existing locks free of charge, get in touch with us or visit our anti snap locks page for more information on what is involved.

Do not wait until after a break-in to sort this. In all the years 1st Defence Locksmiths Leeds have been doing the job, we’ve have never once had a customer who upgraded their locks and regretted it. But there has been plenty who wished they had done it sooner.