Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2010/06/21/ico_kent_police/

ICO spanks careless Kent Police after data was stolen from car boot

Nicked from car boot

By John Oates

Posted in Legal, 21st June 2010 08:31 GMT

Kent Police has been reprimanded by the Information Commissioner's Office and has promised to improve policies following the loss of private data from the back of a car.

Adrian Leppard, temporary Chief Constable of Kent Police, has signed an undertaking to improve policies. The data was left in the boot of an officer's car overnight and stolen.

The officer had not used a secure briefcase to transport the papers and did not have secure storage at home.

The information was found by a member of the public and returned to a local police station the next day.

The ICO found the force in breach of the Data Protection Act.

Staff at Kent Police who need to take confidential information outside the station will now be given secure briefcases and storage facilities at home. The policy for transporting and safely storing such information has been clarified and staff will be trained in the new procedures. ®