Business Hour
Six years ago, to the month, Adele King, left the prison service for a fresh start and has gone from locking people up to ensuring homes are safe and secure, writes Emma Brereton. Photography: Paul Currie
After 13 years as a prison officer, there’s no wonder Adele needed a fresh start. It’s no secret that the UK’s prison service is under crippling pressure and sadly Adele fell victim to this incredibly strenuous and demanding role.
Today, Adele is a locksmith and is the owner of LadyKings Locksmiths in Preston. She originally hails from the other side of the Pennines and lives on the Wirral but Lancashire is home to her business.
“I have worked in every type of prison you can think of and even though it was an increasingly demanding career, there were upsides too and the experience I gained during that time has lead me to a unique position as a business owner.”
From male security prisons and juvenile centres to mother and baby units Adele’s former career sent her all over the country.
“Whilst living in Wakefield, I was introduced to the opportunity to train as a prison officer and I eventually ended up working at Whitemoor maximum security prison.”
Whitemoor is one of eight high security prisons in the UK and includes a Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder Unit as well as a Close Supervision Centre (CSC) which prepares prisoners who pose a severe risk to others, to return to a normal prison environment.
“When you work in an environment like Whitemoor, despite a prisoner’s crime, you have a duty of care. You get to know what prisoners have done and you have to deal with them in a professional way, whilst having them on side. It’s a society in itself and you spend more time with the prisoners than with friends and family.
“It’s a role that requires a lot of experience and guidance. You can’t let prisoners get under your skin and it’s essential that you always keep what they have been convicted of at the back of your mind.”
Thirteen years ended up being enough for Adele. It’s an occupation that can take over your life, but the skills she has after surviving in the prison sector has brought interesting clients to her doorstep with her locksmith business.
“I have always had a love for DIY and after leaving the prison service I was trying to find a sector that would lend itself to my skill set. I saw an advert for a locksmith and looked into training.”
This was in September 2012 and with six years under her belt, Adele has had the pleasure of doing more than what you would expect a locksmith to do.
“I work with women’s shelters and domestic abuse refuges, offering help and advice to the ladies who seek safety there. It’s not just about changing the locks on a house for these women, it’s about ensuring that the whole of their property is safe and secure.”
“Once I was called out to help a lady whose husband had been arrested after turning up at her house with a knife. In my ‘locksmith’ role, I changed the locks and also assessed the security level of the house but with the experience I have from working in the prison service, I was able to get onto the same level as the victim to get as much information from her as possible about the situation so I could leave her with a home that was as safe as possible – I get a lot of job satisfaction out of that.”
When you imagine a locksmith, it’s easy to assume that their role is to simply let someone into their house when they have lost a key or broken it in the lock. It’s so much more than that.
“I have worked hard over the last six years to make my locksmith business as unique as possible. I don’t do night time call outs but work with quality companies and organisations which makes me love my job.”
In her spare time Adele loves nothing more than finding a new restaurant to try or a new craft gin. “I know gins are very in at the moment, but it has been my passion for a while and my knowledge on botanicals is quite good now.”
“I love quality time with good people and spending that time in a local restaurant. Working in the prison service gave me a lot of perspective on life and I won’t be wasting mine.”
