Palace protection a problem

Press, 14 July 1982, Page 8

Palace protection a problem

NZPA London The protection of Buckingham Palace against crooks and cranks sets Scotland Yard a very difficult problem. Its vast grounds and extensive boundaries make it vulnerable, and hardly a year goes by without someone climbing the four-metre perimeter wall topped with bars, spikes and barbed wire. Usually, within moments •the intruder finds himself in the arms of a policeman alerted by hidden trip-wires or the electronic devices which cover every metre of the wall. Last year security at Buckingham Palace and other Royal residences was tightened after intruders penetrated the Palace screen three times. The new network of secret wires and “magic eye” devices was thought • to be so thorough that entry into the Palace was impossible. This week's Cabinet in-

quiry, will be concerned to find out how a supposedly impregnable security ring was breached. The systems, at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, are connected directly with the information room at Scotland Yard. They are fitted to every entrance and every window and should work immediately anyone enters by unauthorised means. A leading security expert said: “On the face of it, an intruder in, the Queen's bedroom must' have known the premises like an employee. The Palace is a maze. You would have to know how to get in and where to go.” A Special Branch guard, nominally stationed at Cannon Row police station, collaborates .with the Palace watchmen over responsibility for the 16ha of grounds. All undergo special training and all are armed. There are many ways Buckingham Palace could be turned into a fortress, but security officials say they need to balance risks against

cost and convenience to the Royal Family. Mr Peter Heims, spokesman for the Association of British Investigators, said: “The technology is available, but how much does the Royal Family want it. Buckingham Palace is their home. They could have an internal 'magic eye’ system so that all doors would lock automatically once the beam is broken. The Queen could have a guard outside her bedroom door, but she would not like it." Not long ago all official visitors to the Palace were given a password which was changed daily, but now all the Queen’s staff carry sealed identity cards with passport-style photographs. Anyone arriving for an appointment at the Palace — they include tradesmen and businessmen — should be ■escorted by a footman or page. Even so, visitors have been found wandering alone among the labyrinth of corridors where office doors are sometimes left ajar.