Post by cammy on Jun 18, 2009 10:50:09 GMT 1
[glow=red,2,300]Stowaway Afghan found at Army base[/glow]
An illegal immigrant from Afghanistan managed to get inside the Army's officer training academy by hiding in a stairwell next to a coach toilet.
He slipped on to the coach as it traveled from a German Army base to Britain and was not discovered until the vehicle was inside the gates of Sandhurst.
The bus was carrying officers and non-commissioned officers from 28 Engineer Regiment's barracks in Hamlyn, who failed to notice the stowaway until they arrived at their destination.
When he was finally discovered, the man, who claimed to be a minor but is believed to be older, was arrested by Thames Valley Police and handed over to the UK Border Agency.
An MoD spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that an individual was discovered onboard a coach within the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst having stowed onboard during the coach's transit from Germany.
"The coach was provided and driven by a civilian contractor who has responsibility for the security of their vehicle.
"Security officers in all Army establishments have been informed and reminded of security procedures to reduce the risk of a further incident of this nature."
A UK Border Agency spokesman said: "As soon as this individual was discovered he was taken into custody, detained and finger-printed so he could be checked against a range of criminal and immigration watch-lists.
(CAMMY)<><> My view is that even though it is a private contractor & Driver, the Military have a duty of care to its Service Personnel, and therefore the SECURITY should ultimately be theirs, after all, who are meant to be the professionals??? Civilians or the Military??? Come on guys lets get it right...This could have been BLOODY
An illegal immigrant from Afghanistan managed to get inside the Army's officer training academy by hiding in a stairwell next to a coach toilet.
He slipped on to the coach as it traveled from a German Army base to Britain and was not discovered until the vehicle was inside the gates of Sandhurst.
The bus was carrying officers and non-commissioned officers from 28 Engineer Regiment's barracks in Hamlyn, who failed to notice the stowaway until they arrived at their destination.
When he was finally discovered, the man, who claimed to be a minor but is believed to be older, was arrested by Thames Valley Police and handed over to the UK Border Agency.
An MoD spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that an individual was discovered onboard a coach within the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst having stowed onboard during the coach's transit from Germany.
"The coach was provided and driven by a civilian contractor who has responsibility for the security of their vehicle.
"Security officers in all Army establishments have been informed and reminded of security procedures to reduce the risk of a further incident of this nature."
A UK Border Agency spokesman said: "As soon as this individual was discovered he was taken into custody, detained and finger-printed so he could be checked against a range of criminal and immigration watch-lists.
(CAMMY)<><> My view is that even though it is a private contractor & Driver, the Military have a duty of care to its Service Personnel, and therefore the SECURITY should ultimately be theirs, after all, who are meant to be the professionals??? Civilians or the Military??? Come on guys lets get it right...This could have been BLOODY