Lord Roberts Center, Bisley, ram-raided

Sparks

The LRC has been ram raided. They got the 'Link' cash machine. There is a large hole in the wall where it used to be. The doors to the Malcolm Cooper Range have been demolished in the process. No rifles taken. The shop escaped unharmed. One trophy cabinet was hit by the ramming vehicle and trophy's spilled out, but are still there.
Todays Army v ESSU v Police Sport UK match has been postponed.
Structural damage to the building has yet to be determined.

You have to wonder about the IQ needed to ram-raid a rifle range in the middle of the biggest rifle camp in the UK...

fiacha

you also have to wonder about the camps security.

Yeah, i would be wondering about the IQ of the guards if they didnt notice that going on.

Ram Raiding is not exactly a subtle crime

Sparks

There aren't any guards there these days OP, there used to be army on the gate and Gurkhas patrolling inside, but that ended a while ago.

Sparks

Photos of the damage.









Note the enormous solid silver trophies left just lying on the floor (including trophies like the Dewar Trophy...). Senseless. The ATM couldn't have had more than two or three thousand pounds in it at the very most.

Irony of ironies, the ramraid meant that the scheduled police shoot due to take place had to be postponed...

Never having been to Bisley, what was there exactly? (apart from an ATM!) was it a range?

Sparks

The Lord Roberts Center is the home of the NSRA, OP. Upstairs is the NSRA Offices:





And the air rifle range:



And downstairs is the Malcom Cooper Range, which is the 50m smallbore range, a gym, the main reception, the NSRA shop with a large stock of rifles and pistols and so on, a hockey shop (they convert a portion of the air rifle range to an indoor hockey rink to raise money to keep the place afloat), and a small kitchen that does sandwiches and the like.




The WTSC team is standing right where the thieves must have driven through. The NSRA shop door is visible on the left of the photo.

Here's the LRC from the outside, back in Feburary this year:



The thieves would have driven through the front doors, which are the glass doors to the right of the "Lord Roberts Centre" sign here. The problem was that the LRC is off over to one side of the Bisley camp (though it's quite a ways from the main gate), and the area that would be behind you as you look at the front door of the LRC is empty land from the ranges. There are caravans off to your left that are less than a hundred yards away, but they were empty at the time, and the nearest occupied lodgings would probably have been the George's Lodge, two to three hundred yards away and you might not have heard the crash from inside the rooms. They're definitely going to have to rethink security now, and the odds are that it'll mean a lot of the atmosphere of the place may be lost (one of the display cases that was just standing around in the main hall, for example, had a lot of irreplacable historical items in it, and those may well wind up being locked away in future ).

Sparks

An update from the staff in the LRC:

Nothing seems to be missing including money from the cash machine which is damaged but intact. No attempt to break into any other areas of LRC is evident.

There is damage to the Lord Roberts display items which were in the glass cabinets under the stairs & superficial damage to the postal trophies displayed near the lift.

The damage to the building is mainly cosmetic but it looks pretty awful in places!

All the ranges are working so shooting will carry on as usual.

Sparks

Latest news from the NSRA:

LORD ROBERTS CENTRE
UPDATE ON RAMRAID (15 May 05) – AS AT 22 JUN 05

1. Police Investigation. Crime Reference issued; no further information received.

2. Losses & Damages

a. Nothing was stolen in the raid. Although the ATM was targeted the raiders were unable to remove it or break into it.
b. A summary of the damage to the trophy cabinets and their contents is at Annex A.
c. Major damage was done to the right hand side of the curved wall opposite Reception and to the entrance doors to the Malcolm Cooper Range and adjacent blockwork. Fortunately the walls are not structural and permanent damage is nil.

3. Risk Assessment. The ATM was undoubtedly the prime target. The Association had not gained any financial benefit whilst it was in place because the usage was too low. It will not be replaced. This will reduce, but not remove, the likelihood of further raids.

4. Repairs.

a. Doors. Replacement authorised and due to take place in the week beginning 27th June 2005.
b. Internal walls. We await another tender to submit to the insurers. It has been very difficult to find builders interested in doing the work; the job is either too small for them or their order books are too full.

5. Enhanced Physical Security. The following options are being considered:

a. Lockable barrier at entrance road junction close to St George’s Lodge (Comment: Low cost, low enhancement but will also serve to deter casual overnight parking and driving around the building after hours)
b. Fixed bollards adjacent to entrances (Comment: medium cost and improved security but inconvenient to members, suppliers and staff)
c. Roller shutters on entrance doors (Comment: cost not known but assumed to be medium to high, medium to high benefit)

J D Hoare
Secretary


Annex A to
Ramraid report
One tall and one short cabinet have been destroyed. The other two tall cabinets, which were the two donated to us by Wheathampstead & District RC, have suffered no damage. The shelves in one collapsed downwards, damaging the contents, but the shelves themselves and the cabinet as a whole are quite usable.

The contents of the cabinets were the property of three owners.

The NSRA.

Framed target of opening shot fired by Lord Roberts at Hayes range. Total destruction of original frame. Substantial damage by both impact and water to both target and contemporary new cuttings and original letter from Lord Roberts. Some parts have not been found and the location of the shot on the target cannot be discerned at present.

Framed autographed picture of Lord Roberts presented to Sir Clive Morrison Bell, former SMRC Secretary. Frame, of no significant value, totally destroyed. Picture badly damaged, possibly irreparable.

Bound Volume 1 of The Rifleman (dated 1906). First two pages ripped out, but recovered damaged. Next approx. 10 pages also suffered damage, with abrasions to front and back covers. The volume was already in poor condition with existing damage to spine and very loose binding.

Minor marks from broken glass on silver teaspoon.

In addition there was the damage to The Roberts Trophy (the figurine detached from its base) and The Mayleigh Cup (bowl and handle distorted).

R.J. Wingrove.
China plate damaged beyond repair.
Newspaper (The Globe, Toronto, November 1914) damaged beyond recovery.
Advertising card, some minor surface damaged noted which may have been pre-existing.

B.A. & E.M. Woodall.
Chine plate broken into two pieces, possibly repairable.
Bone china cup broken into two pieces, possibly repairable.
China portrait plaque, damaged beyond possible repair.
Lord Roberts Memorial Fund Stamp Album. Significant damage to front cover and first approx. 12 pages. Minor damage to back cover and spine.
Spy cartoon of Lord Roberts. A number of punctures and small tears caused by glass.
Two postcards, cabinet card and National Air Rifle Association international bronze medal, all with minor abrasions caused by glass.
Lord Roberts tile, possible minor additional damage to rear.
One SMRC Queen Alexandra Cup bronze medal. No trace of it has been found.