Hazel Blears targeted by thieves - again

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Communities and also in Central Government, Local Government

Thieves today broke into Cabinet minister Hazel Blears' official car - just weeks after a computer containing official files was stolen from her office.

No ministerial paperwork was in the car when it was broken into outside the Communities and Local Government Secretary's constituency office in Salford, a spokesman for Ms Blears said.

The culprits took Ms Blears' driver's mobile phone and a satellite navigation system from her ministerial Toyota Prius.

"There were no official papers in the car, no ministerial red boxes," Ms Blears' spokesman said.

Communities and Local Government officials breached data protection rules by sending Ms Blears sensitive documents which were on the computer stolen from her constituency office at Salford's Working Class Movement Library earlier this month.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: "Shortly before 12.15pm police were called to an address on The Crescent, Irwell, Salford, following reports that a car had been broken into.

"Officers attended and found that a satellite navigation system and mobile phone had been stolen from a car."

The chief civil servant at the Department for Communities and Local Government was forced to issue guidance to staff on data security following the theft of the computer from Ms Blears' office.

Despite strict procedures introduced across Whitehall in the wake of data scandals last year, the PC - thought to contain restricted material on extremism, defence and the housing market - was not believed to have been encrypted.

The DCLG's permanent secretary Peter Housden said papers were sent to the Minister in a way that was "not fully consistent with the departmental guidance".

He said: "I have instructed my officials that departmental procedures, guidance, and the awareness and accessibility of that guidance are now strengthened to ensure this does not happen again."

Shadow communities and local government secretary Eric Pickles said: "I fear that these crimes are a sad reflection of the state of lawlessness in Brown's Britain.

"Only one in 25 car thieves in Salford are ever caught under Labour, meaning most criminals get away scot-free and their victims never see justice."