Everyone wants to feel safer at home – but no one wants to live in a fortress! Luckily, thanks to modern materials and locking mechanisms, keeping your family and property secure is now simpler than ever.

PVC-U windows, doors and conservatories already give you a higher level of security than most conventional materials, such as timber. But they also offer you the option to upgrade this even further with a range of high security components.

All modern PVC-U windows and doors have several ‘locking points’ securing the opener to the outer frame. Names like hookbolts and shootbolts sound forbidding and that’s just what they are; each holds the opener secure at different points, making it impossible for all but the most determined intruder to open.

Most modern frames are ‘internally glazed' – the glass is secured in place from the inside – to prevent the old burglar’s trick of removing the whole pane by prising out the beading from outside. If in doubt, simply ask installers for proof of any security claims made.

The surge in burglaries in recent years doesn't mean you have to live in a fortress. There were around 240,000 burglaries recorded across England and Wales from March 08 to March 09 and insurers paid out more than £100 million to settle theft claims for the first three months of 2009, the most expensive quarter for claims in the preceding five years. Incorporate security glazing options, and you are already a long way towards preventing your home from becoming a statistic.

Reputable companies will also be able to offer a range of higher security measures such as more resistant components or even extra devices built into the frames, and will gladly give you more details on request.

Network VEKA offers a range of security features including:

1. Key-locking security handles in a range of finishes.
2. Strong and durable multi-chambered PVC-u frames which constructed with welded joints for additional strength and security.
3. High security ‘shootbolts’ to anchor both top and bottom of the opening frame.
4. Internal Glazing to prevent the removal of external glazing beads and sealed units from the outside.
5. Optional steel reinforcement of the main attack points.