§ Mr. Richard Shepherdasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will detail the breaches of Buckingham Palace security which have taken place since May 1979.
§ Mr. WhitelawI hope later this week to report to the House on a breach of security on 9 July this year.
In addition, the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis has provided the following information.
In the afternoon of 22 July 1980, three French teenage girls—aged 13, 15 and 16—were found on a lawn of the grounds. They had entered through a defective gate during a Royal garden party, and were escorted from the grounds.
In the morning of 20 June 1981, three young Germans were discovered in the grounds a few yards within the perimeter wall. They had spent the night there after climbing the wall, in the belief that they were in Hyde Park. They were interviewed by the police and released.
In the morning of 5 August 1981, a man was discovered in shrubbery in the grounds. He was bewildered and 20W incoherent and either would not or could not indicate the point at which he had climbed the wall. He was taken to a mental hospital.
A man has been charged with an offence of burglary at Buckingham Palace on 7 June 1982.
On 17 June 1982, a man brandished a knife at two police officers at the north centre gate and ran past them into the forecourt where, with the officers in pursuit, he was intercepted by a soldier who disarmed him. He was arrested and subsequently sentenced to a period of probation.
There have since May 1979 been a number of other incidents in which the perimeter line has been passed without authority. On each of 26 October 1979, 21 December 1980, 17 January 1981, 8 May 1981, 11 December 1981 and 1 January 1982, a different person climbed over the wall or the railings, and on each occasion was sighted or otherwise detected and arrested. On 23 December 1981 a man ran through an open gate at the front of the palace. He was arrested immediately, but later released. On 2 April 1982, the same man again ran through an open gate, whilst a car was entering. He was arrested immediately and taken to a mental hospital. On 21 June 1982, a man climbed over a gate at the front of the palace and was arrested running across the forecourt. He was taken to a mental hospital.