A day in the life...
Life After the Military
Ravenwood Locksmiths Ltd provides an advanced
and fast evolving private security service,
based in Hampshire for services throughout
Southampton, Hampshire, Berkshire and beyond.
» RAVENWOOD LOCKSMITHS
Ltd is a part of Ravenwood
Solutions Ltd and is an accredited
security locksmith company.
Established in 2009, the company
was founded by former military
specialists with experience in the
security industry. The company
has specialised in non-destructive
entry both on commercial and
domestic buildings and vehicle
lockouts.
Operations Director, Jay
Benhow, has over 20 years’
experience within the security
industry, serving with specialist
military units including intelligence
and Special Forces both
domestically and overseas.
Jay currently holds a degree in
Criminology from the Southampton
Solent University and began a
MSc in London before deploying
overseas in 2009.
Here, he speaks exclusively
to The Locksmith Journal about
his ‘ordinary’ day but how
extraordinary circumstances – and
a familiar magazine – led him to
locksmithing…
Personal Info
Jay Benbow, 44 – Ravenwood
Locksmiths Ltd – Covering the
Hampshire/Berkshire areas.
What are the areas that you work
on the most - what are you best
known for?
We are probably best known for
our non – destructive entry and
our ability to enter quickly and
efficiently.
Hi Jay, please can we start by
letting the readers know a bit
about your background, how you
got into locksmithing, what you
did before that, etc?
I served 17 years in the military –
10 years with military intelligence
seeing service in Northern
Ireland, Bosnia, and three tours
of Afghanistan. I resigned in
2015 after a breakdown and was
diagnosed with PTSD in 2016.
The diagnosis was a big hit as
it stopped me from working in
my role as a business analysts
overseas, so I decided to have a
look at security consultancy and
locksmithing after picking up a
copy of The Locksmith Journal at a
friend’s office.
Please can you tell us a bit about
your company, how you got to
where you are today, who you
work with, etc?
Ravenwood Locksmiths Ltd is
a veteran-owned business and
we started by simply giving out
business cards to letting agents,
and setting up accounts with lead
generating companies.
14
‘I once had to gain entry for
a young gentleman that had
had a bit too much to drink. I
gained entry only to find out that
he actually lived next door.’
Then, if it comes to a ‘typical
day’ - what would that be? When
do you start, what are your
most regular jobs, what types of
customers do you see etc, when
do you finish?
Typically I am up at 0600hr, it’s
boiled eggs and soldiers for
breakfast, and then off to my first
job with my dog Baxter. The first
job is usually a gain entry. Once
that is done, we remain on call
whilst I email and contact potential
clients, book in work, etc.
Have you had any quirky/funny/
unusual jobs - can you describe
them, and if it was a challenge,
how did you overcome it?
I once had to gain entry for a
young gentleman that had had
a bit too much to drink. I gained
entry only to find out that he
actually lived next door.
JAN/FEB 2020
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