diff --git a/drivers/unix/memory_pool_static_malloc.cpp b/drivers/unix/memory_pool_static_malloc.cpp
index ac26e230a63..63057ef4b5c 100644
--- a/drivers/unix/memory_pool_static_malloc.cpp
+++ b/drivers/unix/memory_pool_static_malloc.cpp
@@ -67,10 +67,10 @@ void *MemoryPoolStaticMalloc::_alloc(size_t p_bytes, const char *p_description)
 
 	ERR_FAIL_COND_V(p_bytes == 0, 0);
 
-	MutexLock lock(mutex);
-
 #ifdef DEBUG_MEMORY_ENABLED
 
+	MutexLock lock(mutex);
+
 	size_t total;
 #if defined(_add_overflow)
 	if (_add_overflow(p_bytes, sizeof(RingPtr), &total)) return NULL;
@@ -176,10 +176,10 @@ void *MemoryPoolStaticMalloc::_realloc(void *p_memory, size_t p_bytes) {
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
-	MutexLock lock(mutex);
-
 #ifdef DEBUG_MEMORY_ENABLED
 
+	MutexLock lock(mutex);
+
 	RingPtr *ringptr = (RingPtr *)p_memory;
 	ringptr--; /* go back an element to find the tingptr */
 
@@ -240,10 +240,10 @@ void MemoryPoolStaticMalloc::free(void *p_ptr) {
 
 void MemoryPoolStaticMalloc::_free(void *p_ptr) {
 
-	MutexLock lock(mutex);
-
 #ifdef DEBUG_MEMORY_ENABLED
 
+	MutexLock lock(mutex);
+
 	if (p_ptr == 0) {
 		printf("**ERROR: STATIC ALLOC: Attempted free of NULL pointer.\n");
 		return;
@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ void MemoryPoolStaticMalloc::_free(void *p_ptr) {
 	total_mem -= ringptr->size;
 	total_pointers--;
 	// catch more errors
-	zeromem(ringptr, sizeof(RingPtr) + ringptr->size);
+	memset(ringptr, 0xEA, sizeof(RingPtr) + ringptr->size);
 	::free(ringptr); //just free that pointer
 
 #else