Notice Board
Government urges householders to use Master Locksmith Association ’ s approved scheme to guard against rogues
» IN A PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE ON Wednesday 22 September , Mark Pawsey MP urged the Government to look at regulation of the locksmith industry as a matter of urgency .
The Conservative MP for Rugby said he is backing the Master Locksmiths Association ’ s ( MLA ) call for industry regulation to help protect householders who ‘ rely heavily on locksmiths for the security of [ their ] homes , and most importantly , [ their ] families ’. It comes as new research by Neighbourhood Watch Network , in a survey of its members , revealed that 84 % of respondents believed locksmiths should be regulated in a similar way to registered gas installers .
He warned ministers that if regulation isn ’ t introduced as a matter of urgency , rogue locksmiths will continue to operate and rip off consumers . Last year the MLA surveyed its own members and reported that 66 % of respondents had been called to a job after homeowners inadvertently called out a rogue locksmith and 65 % said rogues were overcharging customers by £ 200 or more .
At the debate Sir Greg Knight MP , also offered his support , recognising the distress caused to UK householders by the ‘ bait and switch ’ tactic used by unscrupulous locksmiths , whereby a job is secured by initially quoting a low price only to overcharge after they were awarded the job and completed the work , which is often sub-standard .
Addressing the Minister directly , and other MPs in attendance at the debate , Mark noted the spiralling number of rogue locksmiths operating across the country is putting the safety of members of the public at risk . He explained that householders calling out a locksmith – who they have often found online – are placing their security with someone who may not only be incompetent but who may not have passed any criminal record checks .
He encouraged the introduction of legislation to require all locksmiths to be licensed under an industry-led scheme , similar to the Gas Safe Register for gas plumbers . Such a scheme would make it illegal to trade as , and employ the services of , an unlicensed locksmith and would create a public register , giving consumers confidence that the service they receive will be of a high standard and reasonable cost .
He pressed Security Minister , Damian Hinds MP on the long overdue review of the regulation of locksmiths which was last considered more than 20 years ago and asked if Government would undertake a representation from the MLA on how the industry has changed in the intervening years . The Minister thanked Mr Pawsey for bringing the matter to the attention of the Government and encouraged the MLA to continue to engage with officials at the Home Office . He also highlighted the ‘… robust accreditation scheme [ the MLA has ] in place to ensure that approved locksmiths are appropriately vetted , inspected and qualified . The scheme is approved by the police crime prevention initiative , Secured by Design , which sets the industry gold standard for security products and interventions to design out crime . We encourage [ consumers ] to use the information available to them , including that which can be found on the Master Locksmiths Association website , to ensure they receive quality work at fair rates .’
Steffan George , managing director of the MLA , added : “ Over the last year we ’ ve received hundreds of complaints from householders who have fallen victim to the unscrupulous activities of those masquerading as locksmiths . We need to protect unwitting consumers , many of whom don ’ t realise the industry is unregulated , as well as protecting legitimate professional locksmiths whose reputations are being tarnished by these rogues .
“ We are grateful that Mark Pawsey MP has brought this important issue to Parliament ’ s attention . Alongside our colleagues at Neighbourhood Watch Network , Secured by Design and the Association of British Insurers , we all want to see rogue locksmiths become a thing of the past .”
Jane Mason from Surrey is just one homeowner who has fallen victim to a rogue locksmith , having received a bill for more than £ 1,000 for a job that should ’ ve cost in the region of £ 100 . She welcomed the debate and comments : “ Regulation of the locksmith industry can ’ t come soon enough as without it rogues , like the one I called , will continue to operate and rip-off customers . Homeowners are unwittingly letting bogus locksmiths , who are often are not competent , untrained and unvetted , into their home . The government needs to review this issue urgently and do more to protect consumers .”
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