Handle towards the rear on back of latch (4)
I believe the answer is:
haft
'handle' is the definition.
(haft is a kind of handle)
'towards the rear on back of latch' is the wordplay.
'towards the rear' becomes 'aft' (I've seen this before).
'on' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'back of' suggests the final letters.
The last letter of 'latch' is 'h'.
'aft' after 'h' is 'HAFT'.
(Other definitions for haft that I've seen before include "Handle (of e.g. axe)" , "Knife or axe handle" .)