JET ENGINE THEFT: Perform audits on a regular basis

2009/12/29

M.G., Kuala Lumpur

I REFER to the report, "Zahid: Now aircraft parts also found stolen" (NST, Dec 23) in which Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi revealed that parts of the F-5E Tiger II and RF-SE Tigereye fighter/reconnaissance aircraft have also been found stolen in 2007. He was also reported as saying that the parts were discovered missing following an internal audit after the engines were stolen in 2007.

According to the accompanying timeline chart, the first engine was transferred out of the air force's Butterworth base to the Sungai Besi base on June 26, 2007 and the second engine was moved to the Sungai Besi base on Nov 1, 2007.

In May last year, both engines were found to have been stolen and a police report was lodged three months later on Aug 4.

The first engine could have been stolen any time during the 11 months between the transfer of the engine to the Sungai Besi base on June 26, 2007 and May last year, when the theft was discovered.

The same could be said of the second engine during the six-month period between its arrival at the Sungai Besi base and in May last year.

The aircraft parts were discovered stolen following an internal audit after the theft of the two engines.

If an internal audit were to be routinely carried out every six months, the thefts of the jet engines and aircraft parts could have been detected early and also prevented more items from being stolen.