People picking locks has been around since the lock has been invented, and that was in ancient Egypt! Much like computer security as soon as a new product is released, there are hackers in the shadows waiting to crack the system. Whenever a new security product is invented, locksmiths, governments and criminals are machining tools to open them.
When I was first started locksmithing and was asked by customers about having pick resistant locks I used to tell them that its incredibly rare that the petty thief will be picking open their locks. Common criminals force their way in with screwdrivers pry bars etc. paying more for pick and bump resistant locks was not necessary for the vast majority of residential customers… is what I USED to say….
The rise of online shopping
Unfortunately the explosion of online shopping and social media has made lock picks readily available to just about anybody that wants them. Online tutorials “Hack any lock in seconds!” videos are all over facebook and instagram gadget pages, so picking tools are common place. Iv had a customer who’s 10 year old son owned a set! It gave me a good laugh but also inspired me to rethink what I was telling my customers.
Over the past 3 or 4 years I now cannot count how many locks I have found where the customers key isn’t working, only to find a broken off lock pick inside the cylinder! This doesn’t mean that you should buy a $2000 dollar lock with military grade anti pick components inside it. It just means that things like restricted keyways and affordable anti pick features is now something I sell to customers a lot more often than I used to.
For centuries professions like locksmithing have operated under the auspice of “security through obscurity” meaning that, if people don’t have the information to learn how to open mechanisms then they can’t. In todays age this is just not longer feasible. People know, and people learn and people do!
Something super simple like security pins inserted into your already existing lock cylinder can make it much more difficult to open from bumping and picking attacks. It sounds morbid but residential security is all about having better locks than your neighbors, because that’s how these guys operate! If you can FRUSTRATE the bad guy and prevent him from entering quickly, he WILL move on and find somewhere else.
Opening locks is a passion of mine (Big surprise). I would have picked tens of thousands of locks over my career and build and design my own custom tools to do so. Your common thief might not have quite as much dedication as yours truly but a cheap lock and a cheap pick set is a match made in heaven. I taught my girlfriend how to open a cheap front door lock in 2 minutes!
Hope you enjoyed this little read. Any questions at all as always give us a call or message. We do obligation free quotes for all residential and commercial locksmithing and security applications in Brisbane. Stay safe guys!
