State of the art.

Once a subgroup of toolmarks, today it‘s an extensive and independent specialty of the technical formtracks in Germany: the department of mechanical securing elements or security devices. Due to the constantly changing engineering technology in the area of locks, profile cylinders, door and window technology, followed by ever new opening techniques by the perpetrators, the expert has to invest a lot of time in order to be up to date with the latest technology and science. This applies from violent opening techniques that an experienced forensic technician recognizes at first glance, to non-violent opening techniques that can only be determined by further investigations. It is important with all opening techniques that all opening tools leave marks that can be recognized and classified by the expert. Until recently, the German state of Berlin was a pioneer in the field of mechanical safety devices. The forensic engineer Jürgen Müller has been researching the recent marks in locks and lock cylinders for decades. He is still regarded as the German specialist competence for locks & cylinders in teaching and practice. His lectures were always well attended and his analyzes were very much in demand by the courts and colleagues.

Opening techniques.

When burglars break into houses in Germany, they use the following options: 1 . patio doors 49 % 2 . Windows 34 % 3 . front doors 11 % 4 . cellar 5 % 5 . Elsewhere 1 % Patio doors and windows are most often pried open with a metal bar, screwdriver or wedge. In around 8 % of the break-ins, the perpetrators come in through manipulations of the locking device or bypassing the door construction. There are several ways to overcome a front door: • Press on, step on, saw open, pry open the door, remove hinges • Bypassing the door construction (letterbox bar peephole lever bar, door handle hinge, door fitting lever) • Manipulation of the mortise lock (opening needle, knife, glider, card, boring) • Manipulating the profile cylinder - violent (breaking, twisting, pulling, drilling, milling) - non-violent (picking, raking, reading, striking technique, duplicating key, metal key, 3D printing) There are ready-made tools for all of these opening methods, or some skilled burglars build their own burglary tools. Duplicate keys have often been a major problem in the past. If a duplicate key is used to lock, similar traces are created in the key channel of the cylinder or lock. In the meantime the analysis methods have improved and the finest abrasion of the tools can be determined. The keys made in 3D printing are a growing problem. In Germany there is a patent system for locking systems, so there are keys that are not so easily available on the market as blanks. However, the patents can often be avoided with the current 3D printing methods.

The investigation.

The expert for technical formtracks has the task of finding the resulting traces, interpreting and classifying them and possibly assigning a specific tool to an act. In addition, he must also determine whether the trace was sensible and holistic in order to open it up or whether there was a pretended crime and the victim lied. In order to be able to examine the tracks inside a profile cylinder or a lock, these must be opened and dismantled. This is the only way to examine the individual core and case pins microscopically. The cylinder is then unusable. There are very complex locking cylinders on the security market that have security pins installed on several levels. The disassembly is often a great challenge for the expert, since the securing has to be controlled. Examining doors and windows for security deficiencies and opening options means that the expert always has to take intensive care of new techniques. Regular training at the door and window manufacturers is an obligation. The installation, coordination of the security locks bolt system and the duration of use can be so different that every examination of doors and windows is always an individual decision.

Did you know ? ...

Starting from the original round cylinder, the profile cylinder commonly used in Germany was developed in 1924 by Sylvester Wöhrle, employee of Hahn AG in Ihringhausen / Germany, and patented in 1928. The Hahn AG was a subsidiary of the Goerz AG, one of the founding companies of the former Zeiss Ikon, now ASSA ABLOY Sicherheitstechnik GmbH. That is why the Hahn profile (also known as DIN 18252 profile) is used colloquially. The weak point of the European profile cylinder is the material-thin and therefore vulnerable area around the faceplate screw hole. If the profile cylinder is attacked by tensile or torsional forces, it always breaks at this point. Bump keys do not work with every cylinder. Tests have shown that only about 60% of the cylinders could be opened. In Germany, insurance often does not pay in the occurance of damage, if the victim has lost a key before the crime. The industry has worked to make German windows impact-proof and break-proof. The perpetrators are using these new windows with the laminated safety glass and mushroom bolts/pins for their purposes. They prick in the glazing rebate with a screwdriver and turn the window handle in the opening direction. Very quiet and purposeful. A circumferential mushroom bolt lock system increases the security against the opening of the window enormously. However, it is important that the screws in the window frame are firmly held in steel.