Man charged over stolen Cabinet Office laptop

Police have charged a man with theft after he allegedly stole a laptop from the Cabinet Office on Monday, according to Scotland Yard.

The charges come amid fresh criticism that the government is not taking sufficient steps to ensure the security of sensitive computer data.

The government has admitted that a total of three laptops have been stolen from the Cabinet Office and three more from other buildings in Whitehall in recent weeks, but it is unclear whether the thefts are linked to the same suspect.

Laurence Alleyne, 39, appeared before Bow Street Magistrates' Court on Wednesday morning and was released on bail until 20 August. He had been held for questioning since Tuesday.

The incident has highlighted the government's poor record in keeping its laptops - and more importantly, the information inside them - safe.

Over the past couple of years, government departments have admitted losing hundreds of laptops.

Liberal Democrat MP Dr Vincent Cable, who has asked numerous questions of cabinet ministers regarding the government's lost and stolen laptops, said: "It would be understandable if one or two laptops went missing each year, but it is beyond belief that the government loses a laptop computer every other day."

A written parliamentary answer from the secretary of state for defence confirmed that 400 laptops have gone missing from government departments during the past two years.

Dr Cable said apart from wasting a "great deal" of taxpayers' money, senior civil servants and ministers have a "casual approach" to computer security. If the computers fall into the wrong hands, Dr Cable said, he would be concerned about the implications for national security.

"Confidential information, and possibly national secrets, could be used against us," he said.

Munir Kotadia writes for ZDNet UK