Military theft ‘could get worse if budgets are slashed’
Thefts of military hardware, including supplies for frontline troops, could get worse if drastic cuts in the budget for the military police go ahead, the Defence Police Federation has warned.
Guns, vehicles and heavy-duty military hardware have all been pilfered from Army, Navy and Air Force premises in the last year along with hi-tech equipment and medical supplies for frontline troops, according to figures released by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The list of missing items, totalling almost £700,000 of goods stolen from MoD property in the UK, was published in response to a Parliamentary question by Labour MP Luciana Berger, who called it “a shopping list for anyone who wanted to mount a small coup”.
“It sounds like a shopping list for anyone who wanted to mount a small coup.” Luciana Berger MP
Defence Police Federation chairman Eamon Keating told Channel 4 News the force, which polices MoD bases and nuclear weapons sites, may lose up to a third of its 3,500 officers as a result of budget cuts and he feared security could suffer as a result.
Ms Berger called for ministers to resign after it emerged that an aircraft fuselage worth £10,000, a ship’s anchor, two inflatable boats, a Bedford truck and a £50,000 helicopter rotor tuner had been spirited away from government property.
Two pistols and an imitation firearm were also among the stolen items, along with two batches of night sights worth £88,000.
Other items that could have been used by British troops serving on the front line were night vision goggles worth £4,700, nearly £12,500 worth of body armour, rations worth almost £6,000 and medical supplies totalling nearly £14,000.
The most valuable item taken was a batch of compensation cheques worth £84,500.00, which were taken from a non-MoD site in London in November last year.
The MoD also disclosed that three pieces of ceremonial silver worth a total of £36,000 were stolen from the Knightsbridge barracks of the Household Cavalry, Princes William and Harry's regiment.
MoD police began scouring online auction sites for a £25,000 statuette, a £6,000 snuffbox from the mid-1800s and a £5,000 engraved salver, after recovering another a silver snuffbox that had been put up for sale on the internet.
Last year, ex-Parachute Regiment warrant officer Allan Peet, 46, of Bridgend, was given a suspended sentence after admitted handling more than £6,500 worth of military goods stolen from MoD stores at RAF St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan.
It was intended for soldiers in the frontline, but Peet auctioned them on eBay.
The MoD police told Channel 4 News that arrests have been made “in a number of cases”.
The thefts were brought to light after Ms Berger, the member for Liverpool Wavertree, asked the MoD to list all items worth more than £100 stolen from the MoD since the Coalition took office.
She said: “This is nothing short of a national disgrace. Defence Ministers have some serious questions to answer.
“People will be furious that thieves can walk away with body army, pistols, uniforms, helmets and night vision goggles intended for our men and women serving in combat zones.
“It’s heartbreaking that compensation for the families of those killed in action has been stolen.
“It’s astonishing that on this government’s watch everything from helicopter rotor tuners, telescopic lenses, military computer systems, and even an aircraft fuselage can be pilfered from the MoD.
“I will be demanding assurances from ministers that these materials have not fallen into the hands of Britain’s enemies. Ministers should now be considering their positions.”
"If you reduce security, you have to accept that will increase the risk." Eamon Keating
Mr Keating said that Federation predicts the loss of up to a third of the MoD’s 3,500 officers as Government spending cuts begin to hit the ministry.
He told Channel 4 News: “If that were to take place, that would obviously have a detrimental effect on our ability to secure and protect MoD property.
“Security will still be there. It just won’t necessarily be as flexible and dynamic as it is at the moment.
“Our officers are a significant frontline resource. If they are not there, establishments cannot function. They need to be confident that the security provision is such that there is no risk.
“If you reduce that, you have to accept that will increase the risk.”
An MOD spokesman said: “All crime reported to the MoD Police is thoroughly investigated and in a number of cases arrests have been made.
“Over the last three years the level of theft the MoD Police deals with has fallen by almost 20 per cent. It would be inappropriate to comment further as investigations are ongoing.”