Documentary Description
Mark Thomas puts the arms trade under the spotlight in this special
edition of Dispatches, asking how easy it is to broker arms. Working
his way through a spider’s web of vast and, in some cases, archaic
legislation, Thomas unearths a series of dangerous loopholes,
inconsistencies and, even more shocking, simple omissions that would
have the most avaricious arms broker salivating with glee.
The programme highlights the international trade route that runs
from Eastern Europe to the Far East and the twists and turns that make
it possible to broker equipment like thumb cuffs, wall cuffs and the
particularly menacing sting stick (two-foot metals bars covered with
sharp spikes) within the existing UK guidelines.
In his inimitable style, Thomas highlights the shocking impact of
this trade route not just in war-torn countries like Democratic
Republic of Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone, but also in our own
backyard. But nothing prepares Thomas for the possibilities that open
up when he discovers a neighbouring European country with no brokerage
laws.
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