Laptop containing the details of 600,000 applicants to the armed forces is stolen

Oh dear, here we go again.

So this time, it’s not the child benefit data but a Royal Navy Officer’s laptop. Only it wasn’t exactly lost. It was more stolen.

The Ministry of Defence admitted on Friday that a laptop (COMPAQ Evo N600c for those interested) containing the personal data of over 600,000 applicants to the armed forces had been stolen.

“The stolen laptop contained personal information relating to some 600,000 people who have either expressed an interest in, or have joined, the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and the Royal Air Force,” an Minister of Defense spokesman said.

Applicants’ details recorded on the computer include passport details, National Insurance numbers, drivers’ licence details, family details, doctors’ addresses NHS numbers and the bank details of 3,500 individuals.

The laptop was stolen on the ninth of this month in Birmingham and was reported on the morning of the tenth. Sources say that the laptop “appeared to have been left in a car overnight”.

Police in the west-midlands assure that a professional and thorough investigation is underway.