Hollywood Security Myths

We all love a good movie now and then – but sometimes they sacrifice accuracy for the sake of looking cool. When it comes to security, there are a lot of common mistakes shown; thankfully, this often just means that we’re safer in the real world! Here are a couple of the most common security myths from the screen…

Breaking Down Doors

Here’s a common one – the character wants to get through a door, but it’s locked. What’s the best thing to do? Either throw yourself at it shoulder first or kick it open, if you’re from movie-land. Sometimes, as in the clip above, it’s played for comedy and fails utterly, but how many times have you seen actors charging through doors as if they were made of paper?

The fact is, if you throw yourself shoulder-first at a locked door, you’re more likely to end up with a dislocated shoulder. Some shows accurately show the methods real-world police will use – a well-placed kick near to (not on) the lock, but even then, it requires a certain amount of training, physical ability and a door that isn’t particularly secure in the first place.

Shooting Locks

Oh dear, Mister Bond. Not one but two errors here. At about 1:30 in the clip above, James Bond encounters a stuck door. He throws himself shoulder-first at it a couple of times, then shoots at the lock and, hey presto, it opens! We also frequently see movie characters shooting padlocks open, destroying electronic key locks to jam doors closed, and performing other tricks.

Guns aren’t usually a good replacement for keys, however. The chances of ricochet aside, the average handgun won’t have enough power to break a lock. Where electronic keys are concerned, damaging the interface is likely to do only that – without doing anything to the interface on the other side.

Here at Abacus Shutters, our security solutions are based firmly in the real world; whether you’re looking for residential roller shutters in London, fire shutters or even telescopic posts for your car park, we can offer high-quality products that give you real peace of mind. For more information, get in touch with us on 0845 644 1225.