UK: ICO takes enforcement action against Chief Constables after personal data breach

Sooraj Shah reports:

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has urged policing staff that work in specialist collaboration units to receive data protection training, while it warned the units themselves to be adequately secured.

The ICO has tried to increase awareness in the area after its investigation of a breach at the East Midlands Collaboration Unit. It found that a number of unencrypted laptops containing sensitive personal data were stolen from an office in August 2010. The laptops had sensitive personal data relating to about 4,500 offenders from across three forces.

As a result, the ICO has taken enforcement action against the Chief Constables of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Police.