Leverage attack

A leverage attack, “apalancamiento” in Spanish, uses the force of a lever to prise the door leaf away from the frame, force the hinges or tear out the strike plate. It is the general term; jemmying is its most typical form, on the lock side.

The weak points it looks for are always the same: the hinge side, if there is no protection; the strike plate, if it is screwed into thin timber; and the gap between leaf and frame, if the door is badly adjusted.

On the coast there are many aluminium or PVC doors on terraces and ground floor bungalows that give way easily to a lever, and this is not always taken into account.

What works is hinge bolts, multipoint locks, additional bolts, reinforced strike plates and a well adjusted door. Take a look at hinge bolts and door reinforcement; for the cylinder, see our security cylinders.