Defence Force loses track of guns from its armouries

The Defence Force admits it has lost enough guns to fill a small arsenal.

But two ex-army SLR rifles found in the home of Napier siege gunman Jan Molenaar were not stolen from its armouries they had been bought legally.

They were obsolete weapons that had been sold to the public years earlier through the Government Disposal Bureau, Defence spokesman Commander Shaun Fogarty said yesterday.

But the military is not ruling out the possibility that Molenaar, a former territorial soldier, had other military guns.

"How any ex-Defence Force weapons found came to be in the possession of Jan Molenaar is the subject of an investigation by police," Commander Fogarty said.

Molenaar had a hoard of explosives, thousands of bullets and at least 18 firearms in the Napier Hill house in which he shot himself after a two-day siege in May.

The Defence Force, responding to an Official Information Act request, has detailed items that have gone missing from its armouries in the past two decades.

Defence chief, Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae, reports that since 1990 it has lost seven 9mm pistols, two Steyr rifles, inoperable trophy weapons, including an incomplete grenade launcher, a sub-machinegun, two rifles and a pistol, and "some" .22 rifles reported missing from the cadet force.

This list does not include weapons lost by troops on overseas deployments information on these losses has been withheld on the grounds that it could prejudice security or international relations.

However, a Defence Ministry investigation three years ago found that between 1995 and 2006, nine weapons had been reported lost on overseas deployments.

General Mateparae said the Defence Force made significant improvements to its weapons inventory systems in 2000.

This had dramatically improved its ability to track weapons and it was now putting microchips into its weapons to make stocktaking quicker and more accurate.

All weapons and ammunition were held at secure facilities, and regular stock inspections were carried out, he said.

Police were told immediately and internal investigations were carried out if any discrepancies were found.

MISSING IN ACTION

Since 1990 the Defence Force has lost:

Seven 9mm pistols

Two Steyr rifles

One inoperative pistol

Two inoperative rifles

One incomplete grenade launcher

One inoperative sub-machinegun

Some cadet force .22 rifles

One thunderflash pyrotechnic

Nine other weapons (type not disclosed) on overseas deployments.

- © Fairfax NZ News