Company loses data on criminals

A contractor working for the Home Office has lost a computer memory stick containing personal details about tens of thousands of criminals.

The Home Office was first told by private firm PA Consulting on Monday that the data might be missing. The lost data includes details about 10,000 prolific offenders as well as information on all 84,000 prisoners in England and Wales. The Home Office said a full investigation was being conducted. They said the police and the Information Commissioner had been informed. ...

The data on the stick also includes information from the Police National Computer of some 30,000 people with six or more convictions in the last year. Details of serving prisoners included names, addresses, dates of birth and in come cases release dates, said BBC political correspondent Laura Kuenssberg. The transfer of further data to PA Consulting on the project has been suspended pending the investigation. - bbc