Thirty percent of UK burglaries involve entry through a window. Only 6.3 percent of those involve breaking glass. The rest exploit windows that were unlocked, left on a night vent, or fitted with locks too weak to resist a simple tool. Metropolitan Police advice is clear: fit key-operated locks to all ground-floor and accessible windows. But the advice stops at the closed position. It does not address the millions of homeowners who need their windows open for ventilation in summer. LockLatch is the window security lock that works in the open position, securing the window at an adjustable gap with a key-operated pin.
How Burglars Actually Get Through Windows
The data from the Office for National Statistics and police crime prevention units paints a consistent picture. Opportunistic burglars look for easy entry. An open window on the ground floor. A sash window with no lock. A uPVC window left on the night vent position. A bathroom window cracked open and forgotten. Smashing glass makes noise, attracts attention and risks injury. Walking through an open window does not. According to Metropolitan Police crime prevention guidance, 45 percent of UK homeowners leave windows unlocked in unoccupied rooms.
A burglary occurs every 172 seconds during UK winter months. In summer, the rate shifts: fewer homes are unoccupied during daylight hours, but more windows are left open. The security risk migrates from forced entry to walk-in entry.
What Police Recommend
The Secured by Design initiative, the official UK police security standard, recommends key-operated locks on all accessible windows. Products carrying the SBD accreditation meet a “Police Preferred Specification” tested by independent UKAS-certified laboratories. Windows should have internal beading (to prevent glass removal from outside) and ideally laminated glass on ground-floor openings.
PAS 24 is the British Standard for enhanced security performance in windows and doors. It is mandatory for new-build homes under Approved Document Q and simulates an opportunistic burglar attack using concealable tools. SBD requires PAS 24 compliance plus additional measures.
Most SBD-certified products fit a defined category: window locks for closed windows, laminated glass, security film. LockLatch does not fit these categories because it addresses a different problem, securing a window in the open position. There is currently no SBD category for open-position window security.
The Open Window Problem
Every police recommendation and every security standard assumes the window is closed. There is no standard for securing an open window because the assumption is that an open window is an insecure window. For most of the year, this is manageable. In summer, it is not. A family sleeping with every window closed on a 28-degree July night is not a realistic expectation. The choice between security and comfort drives millions of UK homeowners to leave windows open and hope for the best.
How LockLatch Fills the Gap
LockLatch is a C304 stainless steel arm that locks any window or door in the open position. The opening is adjustable from 9 to 17 centimetres, wide enough for ventilation, too narrow for a person to pass through. A lockable pin secures the arm in position. The window is physically locked open. It is not ajar. It is not on a night vent. It is locked.
It fits every window type: uPVC, timber, aluminium, sash, casement, tilt-and-turn, sliding and hinged. Installation is four holes and 15 minutes, fixed with either screws or rivets. It supplements the existing window lock rather than replacing it. When the window needs to be fully closed and locked, the existing mechanism does its job. When ventilation is needed, LockLatch takes over.
Insurance Compliance
Most UK home insurance policies require key-operated window locks. A window left open without a locking mechanism may constitute a breach of policy conditions. LockLatch is key-operated and physically locks the window at its set position. For ground-floor windows, this distinction matters. An insurer assessing a burglary claim will ask whether the window was secured. A night vent position is not secured. A LockLatch is.
LockLatch ships from our distribution centres in the UK and South Africa.
Shop LockLatch now and secure every window, open or closed.
