Stolen weapons

[Julian2]

 

 

January 05, 2007 02:03pm

Article from: AAP

 

 

A SYDNEY man has been charged with 17 offences following an investigation into seven stolen rocket launchers.

A joint operation by Australian Federal Police, NSW Police and ASIO led officers today to a house in Leumeah, in Sydney's southwest, where the 28-year-old man was arrested.

 

On September 30 last year, police recovered one of the rocket launchers, believed to be the property of the Australian Defence Force.

 

The man was charged with two counts of dishonestly receiving stolen property, seven counts of unauthorised possession of a prohibited weapon, and seven counts of unauthorised supply of a prohibited weapon.

 

He has also been charged with possession of ammunition.

 

NSW Assistant Police Commissioner Nick Kaldas said today's arrest was not the end of the investigation.

 

"I want to assure the public that we have significant resources working on finding these weapons," he said.

 

"It is important that if anyone in the community has any information regarding prohibited or illegally obtained weapons, they should contact police immediately."

 

Army chief Lieutenant General Peter Leahy said earlier that the Defence Department was investigating claims that former soldiers may have sold anti-tank rockets on the black market to criminals or even terrorists.

 

Lt Gen Leahy said the department was auditing all such weapons in its armories around the country.

 

"We've done a fair bit of work to do a stocktake of our own and the defence force announced before Christmas that we are imposing extra restrictions on their use to make sure they are used only for operational purposes," he said.

 

"I think that we've taken quite stringent steps to make sure that we have control over the weapons in our control and I think beyond that we should listen to what the Civil and other authorities are doing to investigate."

 

In a separate incident late last year week, a 53-year-old sergeant from Victoria's Puckapunyal base was charged with the theft of army equipment, with police said to have removed "truckloads" of weapons and ordnance from his home.

 

The articles bad enough but check out the last paragraph. "Truck loads of weapons and ordinance" And no one missed it? That frightens shit out of me.

 

 

[Torneyboy]

Hope they find the damn things...do some real damage with that lot...

[Bangkoktraveler]

From the defense department. I worked one time at one US Army base. All weapons could be accounted for. The parts to make the weapons could not. No investigation.

[Flashermac]

I was an instructor at the Army Ordnance School. We would see shipments of tow missiles sent out in civilians transportation with no security. All any terrorist would have to do is hijack a shipment and then fire one missile at an airliner landing or taking off. Wouldn't even have to hit the plane ... but every airport in North America would immediately be shut down tight.

 

So much for security.

 

 

[Julian2]

I couldn't believe it, truckloads the guy had home. Obviously a klepto of some kind but what if he had been into selling the stuff to the highest bidder? Everybody on the base should have been demoted to private and sent to Afghanistan.

[Flashermac]

Some sergeant or lieutenant will take the blame and the colonel or general get off Scot free ...

 

 

[pasathai1]

I find ( in surplus comm items I buy from the military)

 

hundreds of cell phones with sim cards still in them, lots of private and military phone numbers still in them.

 

somehow, it seems like a serious breech of security