Brize Car Parking - How secure??
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Midlands
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Brize Car Parking - How secure??
Not very is the answer.
Just as info for the wider masses out there I want to tell of my latest experience with the RAF's "premiere transport base".
Having just returned from a short det to the Death Star, FI, on an Airbridge that was operating on time, clearly too good to be true.
Walked upto long term carpark to recover the car ready for the trip home and shocked to find that somebody had removed the roof rails and locked roof bars from my car. A rather surprised me as they were a factory fitted option, with fixing nuts special to type and requiring a special allen key to undo them.
I have had them replaced today and the dealership were as surprised as I was, general estimate is it would take between 20 - 30 mins to remove the bars and rails, and would require the special allen key.
Out of interest I reported the occurence to the RAFP at Brize, guess what the answer was? "Ah yes sir we do have regular reports of things missing from cars in the long term car park, spare wheels, aerials and even wheel nuts sometimes. Unfortunately the area is not under cctv coverage and we dont have the staff to patrol the area. We can give you a crime number for your insurance company, but really as we open the file it is closed within 2 weeks with nothing found".
So to all using the airhead be aware the long term carpark is far from secure, and if you use it you may find yourself like me down by £400, or worse case in an RTA when your wheels are not secured properly.
What is the world coming to when you cant even deploy without having to worry about whats happening to your kit on what is thought to be a secure area.
Just as info for the wider masses out there I want to tell of my latest experience with the RAF's "premiere transport base".
Having just returned from a short det to the Death Star, FI, on an Airbridge that was operating on time, clearly too good to be true.
Walked upto long term carpark to recover the car ready for the trip home and shocked to find that somebody had removed the roof rails and locked roof bars from my car. A rather surprised me as they were a factory fitted option, with fixing nuts special to type and requiring a special allen key to undo them.
I have had them replaced today and the dealership were as surprised as I was, general estimate is it would take between 20 - 30 mins to remove the bars and rails, and would require the special allen key.
Out of interest I reported the occurence to the RAFP at Brize, guess what the answer was? "Ah yes sir we do have regular reports of things missing from cars in the long term car park, spare wheels, aerials and even wheel nuts sometimes. Unfortunately the area is not under cctv coverage and we dont have the staff to patrol the area. We can give you a crime number for your insurance company, but really as we open the file it is closed within 2 weeks with nothing found".
So to all using the airhead be aware the long term carpark is far from secure, and if you use it you may find yourself like me down by £400, or worse case in an RTA when your wheels are not secured properly.
What is the world coming to when you cant even deploy without having to worry about whats happening to your kit on what is thought to be a secure area.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hanging off the end of a thread
Posts: 33,071
Received 2,939 Likes
on
1,252 Posts
Could of been worse........... I was at Brize when we had Gorbachev visit maggie on the way out to the USA to see Regan I believe............
Security was tight, indeed they removed all parked cars from in front of the terminal including the Avis rentacars........... these were winched off the ground tail first and pulled away, every one of them had the steering locks on and there was an awful sounding bang as they sheared off......... A waaf was delivering a signal, parked her Pushbike in the bike racks outside, came out 10 mins later to find racks and bikes gone..........
They back dug trees on the main drag and used 4 toners to pull em upright then filled in the otherside so all the trees were perfectly upright..........
There was a dustmans strike on, so the RAF emptied every civi bin and cleared up all the rubbish between the station and a school his wife wanted to visit................ the council resurfaced the road overnight!
The money they wasted on a couple of hour visit was discusting.........
Security was tight, indeed they removed all parked cars from in front of the terminal including the Avis rentacars........... these were winched off the ground tail first and pulled away, every one of them had the steering locks on and there was an awful sounding bang as they sheared off......... A waaf was delivering a signal, parked her Pushbike in the bike racks outside, came out 10 mins later to find racks and bikes gone..........
They back dug trees on the main drag and used 4 toners to pull em upright then filled in the otherside so all the trees were perfectly upright..........
There was a dustmans strike on, so the RAF emptied every civi bin and cleared up all the rubbish between the station and a school his wife wanted to visit................ the council resurfaced the road overnight!
The money they wasted on a couple of hour visit was discusting.........
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Waleshire
Age: 60
Posts: 209
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Shurely shome mishtake?
Did you mean disgusting?
Anyway, back to the topic in hand.......
I deployed to a sandy place a year ago, left the old MG in the car park, and all was well on my return.
Having said that, I'm not surprised that car crime happens at Brize.
It's for all intents and purposes, an airport. Just because armed men patrol the lines at night doesn't mean some common thief won't get access. Think of all the deliveries. The workmen. The traders. The squaddies for that matter. All with a valid excuse for being there, but all of them having the opportunity for theft.
As our original poster says, be aware guys. Quite right too. But please don't be surprised that crime happens on an RAF airfield for goodness sake! We're not exempt from crime.
Did you mean disgusting?
Anyway, back to the topic in hand.......
I deployed to a sandy place a year ago, left the old MG in the car park, and all was well on my return.
Having said that, I'm not surprised that car crime happens at Brize.
It's for all intents and purposes, an airport. Just because armed men patrol the lines at night doesn't mean some common thief won't get access. Think of all the deliveries. The workmen. The traders. The squaddies for that matter. All with a valid excuse for being there, but all of them having the opportunity for theft.
As our original poster says, be aware guys. Quite right too. But please don't be surprised that crime happens on an RAF airfield for goodness sake! We're not exempt from crime.
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: North of England
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Missing the point?
I think people are missing the point. I would be mightily pi££ed off to return from a det to find my car turned over, having parked it inside the wire. If, as the original poster asserts, there is a pattern of veh related damage and thefts, the RAFP should do something about it. It is simply not acceptable!
Daily Mail mode is....OFF
Daily Mail mode is....OFF
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: UK
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Errrmmmm, I'm just a soft civvy, but with what's alleged to have gone on in Birmingham recently do you really want to be telling the world on an open forum that servicemens' cars at a well known Oxfordshire airbase are unsecured and not monitored? I'd say just losing your roof rack was a lucky escape.
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Saaaaaarf
Posts: 79
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
QFI Hawkman - I quote
"It's for all intents and purposes, an airport. Just because armed men patrol the lines at night doesn't mean some common thief won't get access. Think of all the deliveries. The workmen. The traders. The squaddies for that matter. All with a valid excuse for being there, but all of them having the opportunity for theft."
Think you are a bit out of order - should that not read "Members of Her Majesties Forces"?
"It's for all intents and purposes, an airport. Just because armed men patrol the lines at night doesn't mean some common thief won't get access. Think of all the deliveries. The workmen. The traders. The squaddies for that matter. All with a valid excuse for being there, but all of them having the opportunity for theft."
Think you are a bit out of order - should that not read "Members of Her Majesties Forces"?
Last edited by sirsaltyhelmet; 14th Feb 2007 at 10:13.
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: North of England
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Squaddies and other members of the human race
I work in a joint environment and live in a Green mess. LAte last year there was an unsavoury incident when an intruder was found 'worrying' some of the women officers in the Mess. He was detained by a strapping young officer until the RMPs turned up. The intruder - a 'squaddie'- gave some bull£hit story about meeting one of the women in a club and that she had brought him back to the mess. In spite of being intoxicated (or worse) the RMPs released him without him either being searched or questioned. I returned to the mess several days later and found that my room had been broken into, my medals were lifted and and my belongings had been rifled. I duly reported this to the RMP who interviewed me, observed the broken window fittings and sent in a SOC team. In spite of lifting DNA from the wondow frame and lifting a boot print from my duvet (yuk!), the RMP never linked this break-in to the intruder incident, even though the intruder had indicated to the young officer who had detained him which window he had used to enter the mess (ie mine).
Interestingly my medals 'magically' appeared back on my desk a week or two later, and today I received a letter stating that the culprit was never found. What is the point of this story? Well, with the benefit of many years' dull service in single and Joint environments, I have come to the conclusion that Service Police have little interest in property crime (irrespective of the impact) especially when some lateral thinking might be required. Furthermore, in spite of 'our lads' dealing it to insurgents and the Taliban on a regular basis, they can be a feckless lot. I observed a group misbehaving on a train last week (the black role bags being a giveaway) and they giving the ticket collector a serous amount of grief. I was tempted to intervene, but I suspect it would have inflamed the argument (fuelled by some tinnies, as well).
Interestingly my medals 'magically' appeared back on my desk a week or two later, and today I received a letter stating that the culprit was never found. What is the point of this story? Well, with the benefit of many years' dull service in single and Joint environments, I have come to the conclusion that Service Police have little interest in property crime (irrespective of the impact) especially when some lateral thinking might be required. Furthermore, in spite of 'our lads' dealing it to insurgents and the Taliban on a regular basis, they can be a feckless lot. I observed a group misbehaving on a train last week (the black role bags being a giveaway) and they giving the ticket collector a serous amount of grief. I was tempted to intervene, but I suspect it would have inflamed the argument (fuelled by some tinnies, as well).
Last edited by Cumbrian Fell; 14th Feb 2007 at 10:56. Reason: typos
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: In the dark
Posts: 391
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The crime rate at Brize is one of the worst in the RAF. Around 30 push bikes are stolen per month despite being locked etc. Brize is easily the worst base for this I have ever stayed at for petty theft etc. If you need to leave a car there try and get a mate who works there to keep an eye on it for you.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Midlands
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Riksbar, nothing wrong with being a soft civvy, and thanks for the concern you show towards us. But there is nothing wrong with advising how insecure and area WITHIN the wire is IMHO. Its more important to let the world know that having just come back from an OP, having survived the 6 months in the sand, and the AT trip back, its worth checking you have all the relevant bits on your car, especially WHEEL NUTS. Dont want somebody getting out the gate and being overtaken by their own rear wheel on the A40 do we.
Ratty, very interesting edit of your post, first you mention a silver freelander, then you edit to become a blue one. Was this just a slip?? The thieving w%^$£r that nicked £400 worth of property from me did so from a silver vehicle.
Yes I suggest plod were too busy taking tweezers from bags in the terminal to worry about private property, and indeed that was pretty much the feeling I was given when reporting.
Totally suggest leaving your car elsewhere on the station should you be using the place in the future, I know I will be in the future, and god help any plod that trys to ticket me.
Ratty, very interesting edit of your post, first you mention a silver freelander, then you edit to become a blue one. Was this just a slip?? The thieving w%^$£r that nicked £400 worth of property from me did so from a silver vehicle.
Yes I suggest plod were too busy taking tweezers from bags in the terminal to worry about private property, and indeed that was pretty much the feeling I was given when reporting.
Totally suggest leaving your car elsewhere on the station should you be using the place in the future, I know I will be in the future, and god help any plod that trys to ticket me.
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Midlands
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ha ratty libel is a very serious word. Pointing out of facts cant be construded as libel.
Just interested in the edit of your post from silver to blue.
Have you read your pm's?
Just interested in the edit of your post from silver to blue.
Have you read your pm's?
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Midlands
Posts: 53
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Nice pics chap,
But looks like they were outside the gate, and that is civpol.
RAF Plod isnt alound to work outside the gate, hence we have MOD Plod.
Wouldnt mind but that protest is so very close to the car park in question.
Ah well I have highlighted the situation hope it helps others.
But looks like they were outside the gate, and that is civpol.
RAF Plod isnt alound to work outside the gate, hence we have MOD Plod.
Wouldnt mind but that protest is so very close to the car park in question.
Ah well I have highlighted the situation hope it helps others.