HC Deb 31 October 2002 vol 391 cc897-9W
Mr. Keith Simpson

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what category of weapons have been(a) lost and (b) stolen from MOD units and establishments in each year since 1972. [76671]

Lost, stolen and recovered MOD weapons by type from 1 January 1972 to 28 October (Lost weapons register
Year Pistol Mil. Rifle SMG LMG/GPMG Mortars Antique/other Shot gun Baton gun Tgt Rifle (Sport) Total
1972 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
1973 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
1974 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1975 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 6
1976 2 2 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 13
1977 8 10 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 21
1978 5 6 20 0 0 0 0 1 0 32
1979 9 4 17 0 0 0 1 1 0 32
1980 10 6 12 1 0 0 2 0 0 31
1981 11 5 8 0 0 0 0 1 0 25
1982 4 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 13
1983 9 7 7 0 2 0 0 0 0 27
1984 2 4 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 19
1985 3 7 11 0 1 0 0 0 0 22
1986 0 7 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 11
1987 2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 7
1988 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
1989 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 7
1990 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
1991 1 6 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 11
1992 7 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 12
1993 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
1994 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
1995 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
1996 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1997 1 1 0 0 0 0 20 0 0 22
1998 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1999 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
2000 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3
2001 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
2002 3 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 11
Totals 101 79 135 3 8 2 23 3 0 354

Stolen weapons register
Pistol Rifle 9mm SMG LMG/GPMG Mortars Antique/other Shot gun Baton gun Tgt rifle (sport) Total
1972 16 44 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 75
1973 13 12 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 29
1974 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
1975 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
1976 10 101 3 7 2 0 0 0 0 123
1977 7 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21
1978 6 12 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 20
1979 9 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 19
1980 8 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9
1981 6 15 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 23
1982 12 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 18
1983 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
1984 6 19 5 5 0 2 0 0 0 37
1985 9 33 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 47
1986 5 20 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 29
1987 16 38 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 58
1988 11 14 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 26
1989 2 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16
1990 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
1991 6 4 0 0 3 15 0 0 4 32
1992 15 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 3 21
1993 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 28
1994 4 13 0 0 0 5 0 0 2 24

Mr. Ingram

[holding answer 24 October 2002]: Ministry of Defence records show a total of 354 weapons to have been lost, and 802 weapons stolen, since 1972. 262 weapons have been recovered during this period. Only the Army and Royal Marines records go back as far as 1972. Royal Navy records go back to 1993 and the RAF to 1991. The detailed year-by-year since statistics were provided is set out in the tables.

Stolen weapons register
Pistol Rifle 9mm SMG LMG/GPMG Mortars Antique/other Shot gun Baton gun Tgt rifle (sport) Total
1995 3 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 10
1996 6 16 0 0 0 12 0 0 6 40
1997 1 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
1998 3 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15
1999 0 9 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 12
2000 21 2 0 0 0 10 7 0 2 42
2001 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
2002 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 4
Totals 211 428 37 21 7 50 10 0 35 802

Recovered weapons Register
Pistol Mil rifle SMG LMG/GPMG Mortars Antique/other Shot gun Riot gun Tgt rifle (sport) Total
1972 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1973 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
1974 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
1975 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1976 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
1977 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1978 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1979 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
1980 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
1981 5 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 11
1982 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
1983 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7
1984 4 8 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 15
1985 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5
1986 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
1987 10 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14
1988 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 10 0 3
1989 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1990 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2
1991 2 3 1 1 0 30 0 0 0 10
1992 7 4 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 14
1993 1 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 6
1994 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7
1995 2 7 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 13
1996 7 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 23
1997 5 12 0 1 0 0 20 0 0 39
1998 3 6 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 11
1999 3 11 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 15
2000 12 3 0 0 1 6 1 0 0 23
2001 6 6 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 14
2002 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9
Total 82 116 16 5 6 14 23 0 0 262

Note:

SMG(9mm Sub-Machine Gun. LMG(Light Machine Gun. GPMG(General Purpose Machine Gun