Lock picking
In some countries, such as Japan, lock-picking tools are illegal for most people to possess, but in many others, they are available and legal to own as long as there is no intent to use them for criminal purposes.
Famed locksmith Alfred Charles Hobbs said in the mid-1800s: Rogues are very keen on their profession and know already much more than we can teach them respecting their several kinds of roguery.
The tradition of student roof and tunnel hacking at MIT included lockpicking,[3] and their guide to this was made widely available in 1991.
Comb picks push all the key and driver pins above the shear line allowing you to open the lock.
Other tension tools, especially those for use with cars, resemble a pair of tweezers and allow the user to apply torque to both the top and the bottom of the lock.
The angles that form the base of the half-diamond can be either steep or shallow, depending on the need for picking without affecting neighboring pins, or raking as appropriate.
This method requires much less skill than picking pins individually and generally works well on cheaper locks.
If done correctly, this briefly creates a gap around the shear line, allowing the plug to rotate freely.
Electric versions are also common, whereby simply pressing a button vibrates the pins while a normal torsion wrench is being used.
Most tubular lock picks come with a "decoder" which lets the locksmith know at what depths the pins broke the shear plane.
However, it may count toward evidence of intent to commit a crime if otherwise incriminating circumstances warrant reasonable suspicion by police.
The relevant section states: "Every person who, without lawful excuse, has in their possession any instrument suitable for breaking into any place, motor vehicle, vault or safe knowing that the instrument has been used or is intended to be used for that purpose, (a) is guilty of an indictable offense and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding ten years; or (b) is guilty of an offense punishable on summary conviction.
[18] Unlike most laws in Canada, the onus is on the defendant to prove that they have a legal purpose to use the lock picks.
Similar to some drug trafficking offenses, this may be automatically applied if possession is discovered, though corroborating evidence is needed to support these charges.
For example, the discovery of lock picks in a dwelling house in absence of other indications of burglary are not grounds for this charge.
Unusually for a country in the EU, ownership of lock picks in Hungary on public property is prohibited.
[24] Japan's law prohibits possession of any lock picking tools and imposes a penalty of one-year imprisonment or a 500,000 yen fine.
There is a lock picking championship, the Dutch Open (organized by TOOOL), which started in 2002 and features competitors from around the world.
[26][27] In New Zealand, lock picking tools are not illegal, but possession with the intent to use them for burglary carries a potential penalty of three years in prison.
[29] In England and Wales, a person who, not within their abode, has any article to be used in the course of or in connection with any burglary or theft can potentially be prosecuted.
