Neat way to hide a key.

[MossRoad]

Once I saw how fast a burglar can get into a house other than a door, and how fast a professional locksmith can get through a lock made me come to peace with locks being there just to keep four legged critters out. The typical time to steal the catalytic converter from one of our vehicles is reportedly less than a minute. I think that angle grinders are just amazingly quick and effective against locks.

All the best,

Peter

Back in high school a friend was given his grandfather's old Valiant. (cool car!). Only had an ignition key. No glovebox or trunk key. We went to this old locksmith to get keys made.

He walks out to the car, pulls out a little leather zipper pouch from his vest pocket, opens it up, and pulls out two flat wires. One is bent at a 90, the other has a bump on the end.

He puts the angled wire into the trunk lock and put some twisting pressure on it with his left thumb. Then he took the wire with the bump in his right hand and pushed it into the lock, then slowly pulled it out and it popped open just like that, one movement.

The spring tension of the 90 held slight pressure while the bump pushed the pins up. Took maybe 10 seconds at most.

Then he removed the lock from inside the trunk lid, took it inside, took it apart, measured the pins and made a key for it. That worked in the glovebox as well. I think he charged something like $5 for the service and a buck a key.

 

[MossRoad]

Yep! It's very easy to break into a house.

What happens after that is another story....

 

[Topzide]

As they say, "locks are for the honest."

 

[dougtrr2]

We lived in a house that had a low fence leading up to the front door made of landscaping timbers. It was only four or five layers high. At the ends there were short sections of timber for spacers. I took one of those, put it on a pivot, hollowed out the underside and hid a key in the space.

I showed my kids how to pretend like they were tying their shoe if they needed to use the key. They thought it was a really neat idea....... and showed all their friends.

Doug in SW IA

 

[garry1p]

Battery operated tools was a big advancement to burglars.

 

[Jstpssng]

Battery operated tools was a big advancement to burglars.

I think too small. When I saw my first cordless reciprocating saw I thought "what a great moose poaching tool."

I have never poached a moose in my life, or any other animal for that matter. Yet it's always good to know the tools of the trade.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Here's what I know:
Honest people can't imagine things criminals do. The honest mind works differently than the criminal's. A policeman years ago told me they're opportunists, so at your home or garage they'll look for a rock or pipe close by to break in. It's hard for the honest to outsmart a crook because they think differently.

 

[Jstpssng]

Here's what I know:
Honest people can't imagine things criminals do. The honest mind works differently than the criminal's. A policeman years ago told me they're opportunists, so at your home or garage they'll look for a rock or pipe close by to break in. It's hard for the honest to outsmart a crook because they think differently.

A coworker's house was broken into while he and his wife were at work. They smashed his patio door with the splitting maul he had by the woodpile.
I think that bothered him more than anything.

 

[Dftodd]

In the 1970s my Mother worked at an antique shop near home. The owner would lock up, put keys in a paper bag & toss it near the door.
She said thieves don't mess with a junkyard looking place and never look in a trash bag.

I purchased some furniture from a little shop in town.

I got a call about 20 minutes after I got home.

Lady asked me if I had her keys

She had her keys laying on the counter right about where someone doing buisiness with her would set theirs.

I accidently picked up her keys without realizing it

She tore the place apart looking for her keys before she thought to check the security camera.

When I paid, I set my keys right next to hers. Was finishing up the paperwork, when I put her keys in my pocket instead of mine. We both had very similar rings with similar amount of keys.

When I went to leave, she stopped me and handed me my keys

 

[Dftodd]

Once I saw how fast a burglar can get into a house other than a door, and how fast a professional locksmith can get through a lock made me come to peace with locks being there just to keep four legged critters out. The typical time to steal the catalytic converter from one of our vehicles is reportedly less than a minute. I think that angle grinders are just amazingly quick and effective against locks.

All the best,

Peter

Years ago, my grandparents had a break in at their home and a bunch of guns stolen.

Theif cut a large hole in their screened in porch and walked right in.

If they had checked, the doors weren't locked.