The art of lock picking has been practised since the dawn of time. Wherever there has been a locked door or a barrier to entry, people have found a way to gain access – and nothing has changed in today’s world….other than the fact that security is so high on product designer’s and manufacturer’s agendas that it is no longer a simple task.
In the first of his new series of columns in Locksmith Journal Graham Jones, Managing Director of MPL Locksmith Training explains that there are the three key elements to good locksmithing today – Training, Technique, and Tools.
“I can’t recall how old I was when I first picked a lock and I have the same fascination for it today as I did back then – the difference is that the high security multi-point locks all locksmiths are faced with today are a far cry from what they faced years ago; they are designed with a whole range of features to protect those inside from intrusion, but even when the reason for entry without a key is legitimate, it is no easy task”.
“That’s why we as a business see so many locksmiths at our training school – we constantly keep ourselves up to speed with the latest products which are coming onto the market, and through our trainers who themselves are hands-on locksmiths we develop the techniques on how to gain entry when required”.
“The technical aspects of locks and cylinders are changing all the time and all of us in the trade need to keep our skills refreshed. We develop the training courses and the techniques to do this”.
“The other aspect of gaining entry is having the tools to do the job, and just as important as having the right training and the right techniques is having the right tools”.
“It is something we also use our skills and our knowledge for – to design and manufacture tools to support locksmiths to be able to do their job right, and efficiently”.
“It is probably no different than in any other industry, but having the right training, the right techniques, and the right tools to do the job for a locksmith is absolutely essential. With them they can succeed, without them they are likely to fail”.
“In future columns I will be focussing on specific skills to gain entry to specific products, or techniques to make the job of the locksmith easier”.
Graham Jones is Managing Director of MPL Locksmith Training, one of the country’s premier providers of training across all lock types. www.mpl-locksmith-training.co.uk 01924 360444
