Nickinator wrote:I've heard that steak knives could do the trick, the metal they use is able to bend without snapping or deforming, the problems I see with that is that the handles would melt. Bit of a hack job, but could work out.
If you are going to use steak knives cut or break off the handle material, you don't want it. It is far too bulky for a pick. Just use the blade and if possible the tang material.
My fear of selling the picks is not from what people will do with them, (although I've already been asked by some shall we say "people with less than good intentions" for gear and advice) but more the issues I could be faced with, lockpicking gear is illegal in many Australian states, and the law could come down hard on me. Depending on the price of the metal, it's not going to cost that much extra to get 100 made than it would to get 10 made. I'll send off some emails on Monday and see what I can find out.
As much as Australian locksmiths try and present themselves as a privilieged elite and as hostile as they are to the idea of non-locksmiths possessing locksmith tools, it is NOT illegal in most (all?) Australian states to possess and use lock manipulation tools. It is definitely not illegal to possess or use lock manipulation tools in the state of Victoria. In Victoria, for example, carriage of picks
en route to the site of an intended burglary or larceny is an offence. In practice this law is not merely applied to locksmith tools exclusively but to any implement that could be deployed to gain illegal entry eg. pipe wrench, screw driver.
This is the relevant Victorian law:
Crimes Act 1958 - SECT 91
Going equipped for stealing etc.
91. Going equipped for stealing etc.
(1) A person shall be guilty of a summary offence if, when not at his place of
abode, he has with him any article for use in the course of or in connexion
with any burglary, theft or cheat.
(2) A person guilty of an offence under this section shall be liable to level
7 imprisonment (2 years maximum).
(3) Where a person is charged with an offence under this section, proof that
he had with him any article made or adapted for use in committing a burglary,
theft or cheat shall be evidence that he had it with him for such use.
(4) On the conviction of a person for an offence under this section, the court
may order the article to be forfeited to the Crown and disposed of in the
manner set out in the order.
Source:
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/ ... 2/s91.html
As you can see the Victorian law doesn't even specifically name locksmithing tool.
I tracked down the Queensland law for Datagram in anticipation of his (May) conference in that state and found that the law was similar to that in Victoria. Most Australian states have an "intent-based" law regarding lock manipulation tools i.e. mere possession and usage on your own locks is NOT prohibited.
This is the relevant Queensland law:
Summary Offences Bill 2004
Division 3 Possession offences
Possession of implement in relation to particular offences
Clause 15 creates an offence for a person to possess an implement that has
been, is being, or is to be used for burglary of a dwelling, the unlawful
entry of a place, the unlawful entry of a motor vehicle with intent to
commit an indictable offence, stealing or unlawfully using a vehicle, to
unlawfully injure a person, or to unlawfully damage property.
A person possessing lock picks, an electronic car door lock scanner, or a
jemmy in other than easily explainable circumstances, e.g., a locksmith,
carpenter, or a person undertaking home renovations, may warrant the
suspicion of police that the person may intend to used the equipment for a
burglary or vehicle theft. Obviously, the suspicion held by police must be
reasonable and therefore will be dependent on the circumstances under
which the person is found with the items. For example, a person holding a
scanner while standing near a vehicle parked in a car park will raise
suspicion that the person intends to break into the vehicle.
A person who carries an iron bar beside the driver's seat of his or her
vehicle with the intent that it be used to assault another driver who may
annoy the person, will be guilty of an offence. Additionally, the clause will
apply to a member of a gang who carries an implement for the purposes of
using it to assault other persons. Clearly, the clause will also apply in
potential domestic violence or neighbourhood disputes. However, the
clause will not prevent a person having possession of an implement within
the person's home for the purposes of self defence during a burglary on that
home.
If the person has a legitimate reason for possessing these items, they may
easily explain this to police thus alleviating the need for any charge to be
laid. Additionally, subsection (2) provides a defence to a charge for the
person to prove that the person did not know the implement had been, or
was to be, used in an offence.
Source:
http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinod ... 04199.html
Further, in Australia there is no federal prohibition or even restriction on the import or export of lock manipulation tools. Lock manipulation tools do not appear anywhere in the Customs
Prohibited Imports Regulations: refer
http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page4369.aspIt is my understanding that at least one Australian locksmith organisation has been and continues to aggressively lobby government for strict state and federal laws regarding lock manipulation tools but this is yet to happen -- thankfully.
Austrlian locksmiths have been very successfully in spreading FUD (
Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) about lock manipulation tools amongst the general public and they have managed to keep them out of the hands of non-locksmiths by completely blocking non-locksmiths from purchasing them locally. The biggest locksmith supply company in Australian is the
Locksmith Supply Company and they operate in such a closed fashion that they won't even sell graphite to a non-locksmith. If this occurred in relation to any other trade supply company (eg. plumbing) there would be protest. But because the locksmith trade has managed to convince the wider public that all aspects of locksmithing must be kept secret for the sake of security no one complains. Australian locksmiths and the LSC are really only protecting their own economic interest with this policy but they are disguising it as a concern for securing property and life. Locksmithing is the only trade that has managed to avoid the trend towards DIY. The last 10 years in Australia have seen an explosion of DIY and home renovation TV shows and the only aspect of DIY that has been untouched is physical security hardware. You can learn how to unblock a toilet and plumbing supply stores wwill sell you the equipment you need; you can learn how to hang a door and the hardware stores will sell you the equipment you need; you can paint your house and painter supply stores will sell you the equipment you need and so on. But can you learn to remove a broken key from a lock and buy the tools from an Australian locksmith supply company? NO and NO. Don't you think this is a bit odd? What is the security risk in selling non-locksmiths a broken key extractor?
Anyway enough said. Hopefully this is the necessary antidote to the bullshit spread by Australian locksmiths.
Thu Jun 16, 2011 11:32 pm 
