“To Remove Burglar Bars or Not?”

Photo by brunofish

“Dear PoPville,

I live in a two unit condo rowhouse in Shaw, and our front door to the building has a locking burglar bar gate in front of a wooden front door frame with two panes of glass. There’s a tiny foyer with the entrance to one unit on one side, and a flight of stair going up to the second unit.

We’re discussing removing the burglar bars for aesthetics and potentially replacing the glass door with a wooden door. My neighbor has concerns that by removing the burglar bars, the building becomes more of a target for thieves who would smash in the glass to let themselves into the foyer, but they would still have to break down deadbolted exterior doors to each unit.

I see many houses in the neighborhood that have glass doors without burglar bars. Are burglars really taking the time to smash through two panes of glass on a front door to then have to break through another deadbolted front door to get into one of the units?

Appreciate any feedback that readers can share about their experiences and what they’ve seen in their neighborhoods.”