A LAPTOP containing “restricted” data was stolen from Lancashire Police, it has been revealed.

The computer, which contained witness statements and officer reports, was taken from a constable’s car while he was off-duty in Manchester in March 2007.

Bosses say it has never been recovered and are still trying to trace the thief.

The laptop was unencrypted, meaning anyone could access the data it stored.

The theft, which took place while the officer was in the car, was revealed yesterday after a Freedom of Information Act request.

Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Identity Fraud, said: “I am very concerned by this.

“It raises a number of questions. Has everyone whose name was contained on the computer been told?

“In my role I am increasingly aware of issues surrounding lost data which can lead to identities being stolen, never mind the privacy issue.

“We need to know what procedures have been put in place by Lancashire Police to ensure laptops are properly encrypted from now on.”

In a statement, Lancashire Police said: “On March 19 2007 a laptop computer used by a police constable containing police data was stolen from his car in Manchester when he was off duty and while he was in the vehicle.

“The theft was immediately reported to Greater Manchester Police, and treated as a security breach by Lancashire Constabulary. We believe that this was an opportunistic theft and that this individual was not targeted.

“Although the data contained on the computer related to a number of ongoing inquiries involving this officer, since the theft neither the laptop nor any data contained on it has come to light.

“Inquiries are still ongoing to trace the offender”

The police constable is not believed to have faced disciplinary proceedings following the theft.