A total of (rifles, 42 “explosive munitions” and 1, rounds of ammunition owned by the armed forces have been lost or stolen over the last year.
This includes eight rifles and 1, rounds of ammunition taken in one burglary from a Merseyside army cadet facility, according to a Freedom of Information request ma de by Sky News.
In a separate incident, two rifles were stolen from a Reserve Center’s permanent display.
Another rifle was lost in deep water during a training exercise in Wales.
It appears that most, if not all, of these weapons are still missing.
The data covers the (months from (September) ************************************ (to) ************************************************************************************************************************************************************************ September 4832964.
It also revealed an assortment of other items which have been stolen from the armed forces.
These include over £ 1, (********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************) in cash, body armor, a quad bike, vehicle loading ramps, vehicle batteries, a clarinet, ear plugs, a camera and a mountain bike.
Stolen military targets were being sold on eBay.
None of these were recovered afterwards – although the Ministry of Defense (MoD) managed to track down motorcycle clothing and equipment which had been stolen.
A total of (computers, (laptops and) ******************************************************************************************************************************** USB sticks belonging to the MoD were also stolen between October and September 2019.
Some of these losses could be due to accounting errors, the MoD said in a statement.
Military weapons and hi-tech kit have pre viously ended up on the internet, prompting fears the items could end up in the hands of criminal gangs.
Sir Nick Carter: ‘NATO is as important as ever ‘The MoD says ammunition is most often lost during exercises or on operations.
A spokesperson said: “We take security extremely seriously and have robust procedures to deter and prevent losses and thefts, as well as precautions to ensure devices cannot be accessed by unauthorized parties.
“We have large numbers of devices right across the world, and whilst it is impossible to stop all losses, all incidents are recorded so lessons can be learnt and disciplinary action or prosecution taken when necessary. “
The Gun Control Network, which lobbies for tighter controls on firearms in the UK, said it was aware of deaths related to serving or former soldiers who kept hold of military weapons or had access to weapons kept by family members.
A spokesperson for the non-profit organization said: “We note from time to time weapons are reported ‘lost’ on training manoeuvres in the UK. I cannot recall ever seeing a report of the military recovering their lost weapons. “
She added:” Those in the military are able to exploit the apparent ease of access and apparent lack of accountability to remove weapons from stores, barracks, collections, museums, ward rooms etc in war zones and in the UK, which go on to be sold, illegally imported, used in crime or hoarded by ‘gun enthusiasts’ in collections kept in homes, garages, stores and outbuildings. “
Last month, a former policeman and army corporal was jailed for three years for stealing rifles from a history collection at an army base.
Peter Laidler, 73, from Oxfordshire, stole thousands of pounds worth of weaponry from the Small Arms School Collection in Warminster, Wiltshire.
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