HUNDREDS of military and IT thefts have been revealed by the Ministry of Defence, sparking fears “hostile intelligence services” could be involved.
Defence Minister Andrew Murrison also admitted in a separate answer to a parliamentary question the MoD lost four weapons in 2023 and three in 2022.
Grant Shapps became Defence Secretary in August, replacing Ben WallaceRex
But he claimed “none were stolen and all were lost in the UK”.
It comes after The Sun revealed thousands of security passes for entry to defence buildings have also gone missing in the last year.
The Lib Dems said the Government should “come clean” and launch an official investigation into how the equipment was stolen, what was lost and if “any hostile intelligence services could be involved”.
Meanwhile, Labour called on the Tories to “make sure equipment is kept in safe hands”.
In a written parliamentary answer, the MoD reported 213 thefts in the year to December, with the stolen items ranging widely.
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There were 153 cases involving service equipment, which could include weaponry but also boots and combat jackets, and 34 concerning other defence assets.
The list also included 10 thefts of IT/Telecoms equipment, eight of cash, six of fuel, and even two instances where metal got nicked.
In a separate answer, the Department also revealed that in 2023, a handgun and a rifle vanished, while two automatic weapons went missing.
The previous year, the list included a handgun, a rifle, and an automatic weapon.
The MoD stressed these losses did not result from theft; rather, they were unfortunate cases of misplaced weapons, with two of them later recovered.
Lib Dem frontbencher Sarah Olney said: “These revelations are extremely concerning – Ministry of Defence equipment in the wrong hands could put British citizens at risk.
“Ministers should come clean and launch an official inquiry into how this equipment was stolen, what has been lost, and if any hostile intelligence services could be involved.
“The Government has a duty to keep our country safe, yet these figures suggest that they are being complacent with our national security.”
Shadow defence minister Luke Pollard said: “Stolen IT equipment could pose a serious risk to our security. Labour knows there is nothing more important than the defence of our nation. The Tories need to get a grip and make sure equipment is kept in safe hands.”
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “We take the security of defence assets very seriously and have robust procedures to prevent losses and thefts. All devices are encrypted to protect information stored on them.”
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