Set of 12 picklocks and skeleton keys of various sizes on iron ring.
Use
To open a lock without the correct key
Context
During the 19th century it was not uncommon for thieves and housebreakers to carry sets of picklocks in order to gain entry to houses and other buildings. Consequently such sets often came into the possession of police and were even used in crime prevention exhibitions, such as the 1946 Brighton Police Exhibition and the 1970 Sussex Constabulary Exhibition, also held in Brighton. This set is known to have come from Sussex Police and may have originally been seized by one of the old Sussex police forces and even used in one of the exhibitions. Other items from the 1970 exhibition have also found their way into the museum collection.
