Government loses over 2,000 pieces of IT kit
MoD biggest culprit, with 1,058 items lost or stolen in 2011-2012.
Over 2,000 pieces of IT equipment were lost or stolen from Government departments in the period 2011-2012, it has been revealed.
The information was obtained by Labour’s Cabinet Office shadow minister, Gareth Thomas, in response to a request to the House of Commons.
According to [a hreaf="http://central-government.governmentcomputing.com/news/government-departments-release-data-on-missing-it-equipment" target="blank"]a report by Government Computing[/a], all departments have now responded, with the exception of the Department for Education and the Cabinet Office.
Of the 2,070 items that have gone missing, 1,058 have come from the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The majority of these items fell into the ‘other’ category of IT equipment, which includes USB sticks, DVDs and CDs, and was also the largest category of loss and theft across all departments.
Furthermore, 206 computers, 24 mobile phones and 34 BlackBerrys also disappeared.
Thomas said he found the number of devices and IT kit that went missing "incredible" and called for a clamp down.
“Ministers should be doing all they can to make sure vital equipment and data are kept secure,” he added.
In response to the MoD figures, a spokesperson told Government Computing: “The MoD takes the loss or theft of equipment very seriously and works hard to detect and deter theft.
"Where theft does occur and a suspect is identified, prosecution of internal disciplinary action will follow as appropriate,” the spokesperson added.
The MoD was also one of the few departments to submit raw data, which does not account for any recovered items.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Home Office mislaid only 53 items, four of which were recovered. This figure is only representative of 2011, as 2012 statistics were not provided.
