Situations :: Doors

The most common methods of attack on doors are:

	By breaking the door away from the frame
	By forcing the door frame to spread out in order to disengage the lock
	By forcing a sharp edged steel rod ('bari') between the frame and the door to open a gap just above or below where the door is locked
	By removing door lock, with the help of a drilling machine.
	By removing panels from the door.
	By sheer force, the bolts & locks can give way.
	By pulling out a shelter or grill by tying it to back of a vehicle & driving away the vehicle.

With this in mind, the construction of door and frame can be made more secure. It should be recognized, however, that doors should always open outwards. Inward opening doors are supported only by the lock or door hatch which easily give way. Double doors are to be avoided as far as possible, as there is no support from the frame in the middle. If you already have such doors then multiple slide bolts for locking frame outside and tower bolts at the top as well as bottom on the inside, provides adequate protection. 

Sliding doors are difficult to secure. They either hang from a top track or run on a bottom channel, and in either case they can be lifted off by the application of some force. Also, the sliding door locks give way more easily under force. To make such doors safe, tower bolts at both ends of the door, on the inside, secures the door. If door is to be bolted from outside then a vertical slide - bolt that goes into the ground is a good additional protection.

Timber doors that are solid, without panels (or minimum panels) provide adequate strength. The hinges of door should not be visible from outside as they are easy to file/cut. It should be kept in mind that if pins of hinges are removed, then door will easily open from the hinged end. The door must be hung and this may require either pivots or hinges. Pivots are used in conjunction with floor springs or concealed overhead closers. The most common use is on the shop fronts and office entrances. It must be appreciated that pivots are inherently insecure. Sometimes the door can be lifted slightly to disengage the bottom pivot and in any case both the top and bottom pivots are vulnerable to hacksaw attack.