A customer in Brentford got in touch after her car had been broken into and her purse, documents and house keys were stolen. She needed me to gain entry to her flat and change the door lock so the stolen keys could no longer be used.
It sounded straightforward until I arrived and found a British Standard security lock on the door. These locks are designed to meet a recognised security standard, so I expected it to put up more of a fight. I tried the electric pick gun for a couple of minutes, but the lock felt surprisingly flimsy for something carrying the British Standard Kitemark, so I changed approach. Using another non-destructive opening method, I had the door open very quickly. I was genuinely surprised it gave in that easily, but I was happy to take the win.
Once inside, I removed the old lock and fitted a more solid, better-quality replacement meeting the same security standard. The customer had access again and, more importantly, the stolen keys were no longer a risk to the property.
One small reminder from this job: do not leave bags, phones or anything that might look valuable visible inside a parked car. I am forever telling my own children the same thing. Something does not need to be particularly valuable for somebody to decide it is worth smashing a window to find out. A broken car window is bad enough; losing documents and house keys at the same time creates a much bigger problem.
