There are a lot of professions that you’d think are well-suited to crime, but they’re really not. Bank managers could get into the vault where safe deposit boxes are stored, paramedics could use their ambulances as getaway cars, car repossessors could drive off with any car in the city, etc., etc., etc.
But, the moral fiber of these professionals tends to be at least as good as the average, and the average person needs more than a casual opportunity to become a criminal. The risk is also greater - a locksmith who gets caught abusing their position or their skills faces the same criminal punishments, plus they may be barred from practicing in their field entirely.
Finally, even if someone were tempted, the opportunities aren’t as great as they look. If someone were going to break into a house, they’d have to worry about the front door lock, alarm systems, watchful neighbors, people being home, people coming home, fingerprints, dogs, the safe lock, fencing the goods, and laundering the money. A locksmith can cross off the front door lock and the safe lock, but that still doesn’t look like a great bet.
For the same reason why not all programmers are hackers.
There is a saying in our culture
"The lock is for the innocents and not for the thief"
That simply means that when a person is determined to steal something or commit theft then no lock would stop him. Locking something up is just a sign that this property is not on offer for everyone.
That said, quite a few things prevent the locksmiths too, I guess,
Most important. Their choice of being a locksmith instead of stealing. Their will to work hard and earn money other than keeping an eye on other's valuables.
Everything that prevents everyone else from doing so. For example, less testosterone level.
The fear of getting caught and punished.
Just being a master on opening locks cannot provoke someone on stealing something. There is quite a few equipment available in the market for opening locks, its not for promoting theft.
As a locksmith, you quickly learn the misery of what burglars actually do. It goes beyond theft. The feeling that some stranger has invaded your private space is horrible. Burglary may not be a violent crime, but it is a gutter crime committed by spineless nobodies who are too cowardly to face their victims and see what they put their victims through. That's the image of a burglar.
Now, when you get someone into their own house, for five minutes, you are superman. I've lost count of the number of times I've been called someone's hero. In all my previous jobs, I was just another person doing that role. Now I rush in and save the day. The problems might be minor, like the very common case of locks not working for a neighbour who is feeding the cat while the owners are on holiday, but my skills are held in awe by that person.
I'll take five minutes of superhero over a lifetime of maggot any day of the week.
