Locksmiths are the new unofficial fourth emergency service and are regularly called to assist in dangerous situations.
By Natalie de Freitas, Hannah Kurzawski, Scott McWhinney and Richard Weston
Locksmiths are the new unofficial fourth emergency service.
Working with police and other emergency services, locksmith operators are regularly called to assist in dangerous situations.
A recent Kingston incident required locksmiths to reunite a locked out mother with her trapped baby.
She locked herself out after her house door slammed behind her, leaving her unsupervised one-year-old in a high chair in the kitchen.
She panicked when she remembered she had left the hobs alight.
National locksmith company, Lockrite, only took 10-15 minutes to reach the emergency and prevented any injuries.
Locksmiths are also called to assist domestic disturbances in South West London.
While locksmiths often ask for proof of address, there are cases where this is not enough.
Lockrite’s National Accounts Administrator, Holly Slater, said while the company ask for identification, there have been cases where ex-partners try to fraudulently return to their old home.
She said: “We get calls to a lot of domestic problems. Ex-girlfriends and ex-boyfriends try to get back at their exes. The police have to be called. We can’t make that judgment ourselves.”
Numerous night time calls are also made to 24-hour locksmith hotlines to assist inebriated people who have locked themselves out.
Ms Slater says it is a regular occurrence and receives a number of such calls per month.
She said: “It can be frustrating when drunk people respond with ‘I definitely didn’t call you’. There’s not a lot we can do. Often they’ll have broken their own window.”
Danny Riches, 20, from Wimbledon, recently locked himself out and needed night time locksmith help.
He said: “I lost my keys and tried to get in through the dog flap. I was very angry and upset.”
Despite the late hour, Mr Riches was soon granted access to his home.
However this emergency service came with a £100 price tag, making it a truly expensive night out.
