Police officer disciplined over stolen files
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A police officer faced disciplinary action after confidential files were stolen from the boot of his car.
The documents were taken while his car was parked outside a residential property and were handed in to police by a member of the public who found them dumped in a nearby street the following day.
An inquiry was launched by the Information Commisioner's Office (ICO) and it found Kent Police in breach of the Data Protection Act.
The ICO said the force's policies and procedures relating to the transportation and storage of personal information outside the office were "limited in scope and required further clarification".
It added that the officer had not used his secure briefcase to transport the papers, nor had he been provided with a secure storage facility at his home.
Kent Police has now signed a pledge to ensure staff whose roles give them access to sensitive information outside the office are provided with secure transportation and storage facilities.
There will also be clarification of the policies covering transportation, storage and use of personal and protectively marked information, the ICO added.
Sally-Anne Poole, enforcement group manager at the ICO, said: "It is essential that police forces ensure the correct safeguards are in place when storing and transferring personal information, especially when it concerns highly confidential information.
"A lack of awareness of data protection requirements can lead to personal information falling into the wrong hands."
Kent Police has not disclosed where the theft took place or the rank of the officer involved, but said in a statement he had "made a mistake".
It said: "He has been the subject of disciplinary action and has received further training regarding data protection. As a result of this incident, we have also re-examined our policies and procedures to ensure this does not happen again."
It is understood there was no impact on the incident to which the documents related.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments