BURY is pioneering a nationwide ‘Ban the Bump Key’ campaign to reduce the risk of specialist locksmith tools being used to commit burglaries.

Actor Sean Wilson, best known for his role as Martin Platt in Coronation Street, was one of the guests at the campaign launch held at Bury Town Hall. Others backing the ban are Bury North MP David Chaytor and the Institute of Certified Locksmiths (ICL).

The objective is to raise public awareness to the threat that bump keys, lock breakers and lock picks pose to home security because of their unrestricted availability on the internet.

At the same time, the campaign aims to urge the public to protect themselves against lock bumping, a technique where rogue bump keys are used to open cylinder locks, the type found on many domestic doors. Walshaw-based Pickbuster, a unique anti-bump fluid developed in Bury, is among those spearheading the campaign.

Speakers at the launch in Bury included Martin Pink from the ICL and David Chaytor. The MP has agreed to lend his support to the campaign and has offered to raise the issue in the House of Commons.

Another guest was an Arnold Schwarzenegger look-alike. The actor, in his capacity as the Governor of California, has banned bump keys in his state.

A subsequent focus group event in the wake of the campaign launch gathered more than 250 signatures for the ‘Ban the Bump Key’ petition.

For more information, log on to banthebumpkey.com