Notice Board
Paladin Locksmiths & Safe Services :
From One Expert to Another
» THE WORD IS SPREADING ! THANK you to Derek Mercer at Lockeys for the ‘ heads-up ’ and prompting us to interview Paladin Locksmiths . Mark Doyle is a Qualified Master Locksmith ( QML ) and professional Safecracker with over 20 years of experience in the security industry based in Skelmersdale .
So , why a locksmithing career ?
I was brought up in Skelmersdale and Ormskirk , and I am currently living in Skelmersdale . It was 2011 when I started . It was an episode of Rogue Trader that inspired me , I felt like I wanted to make a difference to the locksmithing trade by offering a trusted service . I was very interested in locks as a child , I loved to fiddle and dabble and learned how to open basic combination locks and simple padlocks before the days of the internet . I thought it was something I could do for fun initially , so bought some lockpicks and locks and learnt how to open them . It all got ‘ out of hand ’ quickly buying more and more tools . It was then that I realised I could probably make a few quid with my newly acquired skills , so I started offering domestic locksmithing and then did commercial jobs too . Eventually moving on to vehicle locksmithing , and then I decided to specialise in safe and vault work . One thing just led to another …
Before I became a locksmith , I went to university to study software engineering and worked in the IT industry . It bored me sat at a desk in an office all day . The locksmith life can be isolating , that is why I like to speak to other people in the trade and get involved with the MLA to share knowledge and experience . My wife Vicki Doyle does all of the business administration , taking the work bookings and handling the telephone queries .
My involvement with the MLA
In 2016 , I joined the Master Locksmiths Association and did the exams qualifying as a master locksmith and became an approved company . I found that this helped me a lot as increasingly people look for an MLA approved company instead of just doing a Google search ; the Police recommend to everyone to always use an MLA registered locksmith . Two years ago , I became the treasurer and secretary of the MLA Northern Region . I like to give back to the association and the locksmith trade , I enjoy meeting new people and I would attend the meetings anyway , so might as well run them ! It takes a lot of planning before and after . I also write articles in trade publications
summarising the events and thanking everybody for attending .
Locksmithing likes and dislikes
Likes : I love the variety that locksmithing brings ; no two days are the same ! You really don ’ t know what you ’ re doing from one minute to the next . It could be a lock on a toilet block one day and opening a bank vault the next ! It ’ s a great feeling rescuing people who are locked out of their homes , or locked in cupboards , or breaking into safes . A lot depends on locksmiths doing their job ; access is everything .
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MAY 2024
locksmithjournal . co . uk