Laptop With Unencrypted Restricted Data Stolen From UK Police

It has been revealed that a laptop  containing “restricted” data was stolen from Lancashire Police in March of 2007. The laptop was stolen from an off-duty constable’s car and contained witness statements and officer reports.

Nobody whose information was compromised was contacted as it was believed the data was not the target of the theft, which is probably the worst excuse we have heard yet. The fact that the laptop was stolen while the police officer was still in the car shows that this was a “brave” theft and that the data may have actually been the target. If you consider the value of the witness statements and police reports to an organized crime element, you have not only issues of identity theft, but general safety of individuals at stake.