Believe it or not, the locksmithing industry is not regulated in any way by the Government. This means that anybody can trade as a locksmith irrespective of their competence, background or motivation.
Whereas other areas of the security industry are government licensed (e.g. door staff, or even keyholding companies) the government sees there being no need to regulate the locksmith industry.
Criteria to become a MLA Locksmith
For this reason the MLA has its licensing scheme for MLA Approved Companies where by those locksmithing companies who are promoted on the MLA’s find a locksmith web page and use the MLA Approved Company logo have met 3 key criteria;
- They’ve been vetted (the MLA has been at the forefront of vetting for a number of years and recently got the law changed to enable the association to perform standard level Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks on members following debates in the Houses of Commons and Lords and being added to the exceptions order for the rehabilitation of offenders act,
- They are regularly inspected (The MLA has a team of inspectors who go to check approved companies on a regular basis, this inspection can include checking jobs done by the company, getting keys cut, checking audit trails for quality purposes etc.)
- They employ a qualified locksmith (somebody who has passed an exam based proof of competence to ensure a minimum standard has been achieved)
It’s for this reason that we’d always recommend use of an MLA Approved Company. We suggest you Find your local MLA Approved Company
