Fears that Mod’s 11 ‘lost’ weapons and 1,000 bullets could end up in hands of criminals

MORE than 11 weapons and 1,000 rounds of ammunition have been lost or stolen from the Army, the Ministry of Defence has admitted, amid fears they could be in the hands of criminals.

The missing munitions, including eight rifles and 1,000 bullets taken during one burglary from a Merseyside army cadet facility, disappeared within 12 months, a Sky News investigation found. Explosive munitions were also among the items reported missing from Sep 26 2018 to Sep 30 2019.

It is thought most, if not all, of the weapons and munitions are still missing. Previously, military weapons have been discovered for sale online.

A spokesman for the Gun Control Network, which lobbies for tighter UK firearms controls, told Sky News: “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 ... [They] go on to be sold, illegally imported, used in crime or hoarded by ‘gun enthusiasts’.”

An MOD spokesman 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 unauthorised parties. We have large numbers of devices right across the world, and while it is impossible to stop all losses, incidents are recorded so lessons can be learnt and disciplinary action or prosecution taken when necessary.”

The news came weeks after The Daily Telegraph reported that hundreds of unexploded munitions had been found in Scotland in the past three years. Landmines, grenades and flares were recovered – some in Glasgow and Edinburgh – which the MOD said was “routine”.