A nearby small town newspaper recently ran a story about a local restaurant robbery.  The story related how the safe with an electronic lock had been opened, without damage, perhaps by a method shown in an internet video.  The author and the local policeman came to the conclusion that no electronic safe locks can be trusted, so they warned people to only use dial type locks.  They are flat wrong.

The real story is that when it comes to safes and other security devices, you get what you pay for.  The “safe” in question weighs 14 pounds and can be purchased online for $125.  How much security do you think you can get for $125?  It certainly was not appropriate for use as a restaurant safe because the paper-thin steel would never keep out a burglar.  Further, when employees see a piece of light weight junk being used to store cash, they can come up with a plan to empty it.  Certainly this was an inside job, and the restaurant owners are to blame for stupidly tempting an employee into committing a crime.

It is true that many of these cheap electronic locks can be defeated easily.  Internet videos show how to open some of them too.  (Certain low-end gun safes also use similar inadequate locks.)  If this restaurant had invested in a real safe with a high quality electronic lock the safe would not have been opened without damage.  There are many U.L. Certified electronic locks that will not leave you vulnerable to theft.

Don’t be cheap and stupid:  When buying a safe for a business use some common sense about what you need to spend for security.