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Military Thinking in Modern Locksmithing: Fenris Security
» WE HAD GREAT PLEASURE IN interviewing a former Royal Navy specialist believes honesty, structure and logic are the most underrated tools in the locksmith’ s kit.
Chris Levy is not a locksmith who just drifted into security. After 25 years in the Royal Navy, much of it spent at the sharp end of electronic warfare, intelligence gathering and counter-surveillance, locksmithing was a natural extension. Fenris Security, launched in Plymouth in 2023, sits at the intersection of physical security, penetration testing, countereavesdropping, locksmithing and carpentry- a blend that makes Levy’ s approach distinctly different.
Forged in Service I joined the Royal Navy when I was 16, I served on four warships and ended up leading departments responsible for electronic warfare, anti-ship missile defence and intelligence. Security wasn’ t theoretical; it was real, it was layered, and it was unforgiving if you got it wrong.
In my last five years, I became deeply involved in counter eavesdropping and physical penetration testing. That meant assessing buildings, doors, locks, safes, routines- finding weaknesses and exploiting them to prove a point. I finished my naval career as the Head of Technical Surveillance Countermeasures( TSCM), running more than 200 operations worldwide.
When you spend that long looking for vulnerabilities, you stop seeing locks as products and start seeing them as systems.
Locksmithing as a Security Tool, Not a Trade Add-On
After leaving the Navy, I was headhunted by QCC Global as a TSCM engineer. The work involved covert installations, surveillance countermeasures and physical penetration. Locksmithing became part of the role, when you’ re testing security properly you need to understand door mechanisms inside out.
I used my military resettlement credits to train as a locksmith with Keytech. That training for me wasn’ t about becoming a domestic locksmith, it was about enabling penetration testing and strengthening my professional toolkit.
Alongside my role, I helped friends and family, quietly building my practical locksmithing experience on the side. When I needed to move back home to Plymouth, opening a small locksmith business made sense.
Building Fenris Security
Fenris Security started small. Initially, I partnered with my friend Steve, another ex-Navy lad, to test the waters. Over time, the structure evolved. I’ m still a contractor with QCC, delivering specialist training and testing, but Fenris became the single umbrella for everything I do.
Plymouth is a seaside city with strong competition in locksmithing. Breaking into the market isn’ t easy, and word of mouth is king. You can earn trust slowly here and that suited me. I still collaborate with Steve at Safeguard Locksmiths, we share work, support each other and avoid the lone-wolf mentality that hurts the trade.
What Fenris Actually Does It’ s just me running the business. On bigger jobs, such as heavy doors and awkward installations, my 19-yearold son Harrison comes along. He’ s a plumber by trade but work is scarce, so I’ m cross-training him in carpentry and locksmithing with an eye on making Fenris a family business.
Day to day, I cover:
• Lock replacements and repairs
• Cylinders, rim cylinders and ironmongery
• Non-destructive entry
• Composite door realignment and mechanism replacement
• Wooden door carpentry, frames and architraves
• Smart and digital locks
• Fire doors, emergency egress and security doors
14
JANUARY 2026
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