Spate of weapon thefts
Military-issue weapon components have been stolen from an Auckland Air Force base, raising questions about the security of defence facilities.
A single-page briefing to the Defence Minister has revealed the theft on September 23, where sets of advanced laser target pointers and two sets of detachable night vision sights used on the Steyr service rifle were stolen.
Other commercially available items were also stolen, including 17 night vision devices, six paintball pistols, drill ammunition, metal batons, handcuffs and portable generators.
The alleged thief worked at Whenuapai Air Force Base and has been charged.
It the latest in a string of defence bases.
Last year stolen weapon components worth $64,000 were taken from Waiouru Military Camp.
A member of the public handed the two boxes of components to Turangi police after finding them. of burglaries
A Lockheed Martin contractor working in the army was charged after a search of his home led to the seizure of more ‘‘items of interest’’.
Last week a former flight sergeant on trial for stealing pistol parts changed his plea to guilty.
Murray John Smith was caught after coworkers at the Woodbourne base armoury, in Marlborough, saw him grinding the serial numbers off pistol parts.
A search of his home found parts of a Browning 9-millimetre pistol and holsters.
The incidents sparked a Court of Inquiry into weapon storage, with an audit of all camps, bases and selected navy ships.
Inquiry findings were requested in July last year, but declined by the Defence Force. It was declined again this week.
A spokesman said all the items except for a pair of commercially available night vision goggles had been recovered from the most recent theft.
A review found weapon holding process on bases to be appropriate.
New and upgraded security for defence facilities were to be introduced, including CCTV surveillance, perimeter fencing and security gate improvements.
But Labour Party Defence spokesman Iain Lees-Galloway said the thefts undermined public confidence in the Defence Force and needed to be addressed.
‘‘We have to trust that the Defence Force can keep deadly weapons safe and the fact that this has happened on multiple occasions is certainly concerning and I think it’s the Minister of Defence’s responsibility to reassure the public.’’
While there may be some sensitive information that needed to be withheld, it was important the inquiry findings and the audits were made public, he said.
Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee defended the Defence Force and said safeguards involving disassembled weapon parts in workshops had been tightened.
In regard to inquiry results, Brownlee said it was sensible to withhold information that could compromise security.