Blitz Bureau
Ahistoric German machine gun is among the hundreds of items that have gone missing from Ministry of Defence facilities over the past two years.
Figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats show more than 700 phones, laptops, computers and USB sticks also went missing over the period. The number of firearms lost or stolen from MoD facilities in 2023, under the previous Conservative government, were revealed in response to a written parliamentary question by the Lib Dems.
The party’s defence spokesperson Helen Maguire said the losses were “deeply concerning”, especially “at this time of heightened global security tensions”.
Items that are unaccounted for, reportedly include an old machine gun variant, a deactivated German Luger pistol, and a British Sten submachine gun, according to BBC.
In his response, Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard said the security of firearms was taken “very seriously” by the department, with all losses and thefts “fully and rigorously investigated”.
Figures for firearms which have been lost or stolen in 2024 are not available. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “We take the security of defence assets extremely seriously and have robust policies and procedures to prevent losses and thefts. “If any assets are reported lost or missing due to suspected criminal activity, we take the necessary steps to investigate, prosecute and recover the items.”
