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The deadbolt · six positions of the bolt

Locks, doors and keys at home: a guide to what police advise

A guide to securing your home, published by Dotto from the crime-prevention pages police forces publish for householders. Each force writes its own advice, so every line here names the force or service it comes from.

General information only. Your own state or territory police page, listed below, has the final word.

The edge of a white panelled front door with a polished brass deadbolt above a brass handle
A deadbolt above the handle of a front door. Photo by shonti25 on Pixabay

Police advice on home security starts at the front door. Victoria Police suggests deadlocks on all external doors and windows, Tasmania Police says outside doors should be solid core and fitted with deadlocks, and the WA Police Force’s home checklist asks whether your doors are solid core with locks and deadbolts. From there the pages move out to windows, keys, the garden and the days you are away, and in to the things you own.

Six positions of the bolt

Each guide is one step further in the throw of a deadbolt, from the door itself to the record of what is behind it.

Drawing of a door edge seen from above, its brass faceplate against the frame and a white bolt thrown fully into the strike, with six numbered marks along the throw 123456
  1. 1First throwDoors and locksSolid doors, deadlocks and a viewer, side by side from three police forces.
  2. 2Second throwWindows and sliding doorsWindow locks, tracks, louvres and the extra bolt a sliding door needs.
  3. 3Third throwAfter a break-inStaying safe first, then reporting, leaving things as they are and getting support.
  4. 4Fourth throwKeys and changing locksSpare keys, key tags, keyed-alike locks and new locks when you move in.
  5. 5Fifth throwGoing awayMaking an empty house look lived in, and who can help while you are gone.
  6. 6Fully thrownProtecting property recordsListing, photographing and marking your valuables so they can be identified.

If someone is breaking in now

VictoriaVictoria Police says to call Triple Zero (000) if a break-in is happening now, if the person responsible is still at the scene, or if anyone is injured or in immediate danger. Don’t confront the thief: get out, or find a safe place.

Tasmania Police and the WA Police Force put it in their own words, and the guide to what to do after a break-in sets out each of the three in full.

Where the police pages agree

Read side by side, the Victorian, Tasmanian and Western Australian pages share these pieces of advice, each in its own words, and Tasmania Fire Service adds to the one about fire.

  • A way out in a fire. Victoria Police says to unlock the deadlock while you are home, so you can get out if there is a fire. Tasmania Fire Service says the best choice is a deadlock that opens from the inside without a key.
  • No spare key hidden outside. All three police pages say to remove it. Tasmania Police suggests leaving a spare with a neighbour, friend or relative you trust instead.
  • Tools and ladders locked away. Victoria Police’s reason is that thieves can use them to get into your home.
  • A garden with nowhere to hide. Victoria and Western Australia both suggest cutting back overhanging branches and trimming shrubs.
  • A house number police can find. Victoria Police asks for a number easily seen from the street, and Tasmania Police adds that it should be visible at night as well as by day, so emergency services can find you quickly.
  • Valuables out of sight. Victoria and Western Australia both say to keep them away from windows.

Your police force’s own page

Each force publishes its advice differently. These are the pages this guide draws on, state by state; Queensland’s is not among them.

Police home-security pages used in these guides
WherePageWhat it holds
New South WalesNSW Police Force: Home safetyLinks to a full home safety booklet, a holiday tips flyer and a storage cage fact sheet.
VictoriaVictoria Police: Prevent home burglariesSecuring the property and your valuables, making the house look occupied, and what to do after a break-in.
Western AustraliaWA Police Force: Burglary prevention advice (PDF)Security tips, a page for noting details after a burglary, and a “How safe is my place” checklist.
South AustraliaSA Police: Home securityPages on home security habits, technology to keep your home safe, and security when you’re away.
TasmaniaTasmania Police: Home/residential safety tipsTips for outside and inside the home, a home security audit checklist, and advice on repeat burglary.
ACTACT Policing: Property crime preventionPages on home, apartment, bike, tool and vehicle security.
Northern TerritoryNT Police: Community safetyA community safety section on simple ways to lower the risk to your safety.

Tasmania Police suggests having a locksmith change all of your exterior locks when you move into a new home. That visit is a good time to ask about the deadlocks, keyed-alike window locks and door viewers these guides describe, starting with police advice on doors and locks.