MOD has worst record for laptop theft

IN THE past six years the Ministry of Defence has lost or had stolen more than 1,000 laptops.

It fared the worst of 11 Whitehall departments surveyed last month, with the theft or loss of 340 of the devices, worth more than 600,000 in the past two years alone.

From 2004 to 2008 the MoD lost or had stolen 747 laptops, bringing the total for the past six years to 1,087 and putting the cost to the taxpayer at more than 1 million.

It was strongly criticised in 2008 for security lapses that led to the theft of a Royal Navy laptop containing records of thousands of recruits and potential recruits.