Kent Police have been rapped over the knuckles after confidential documents were swiped from an officer's car.

The secret files were stolen from the boot of a policeman's car, parked overnight at a home.

But the officer didn't use a secure briefcase to transport the paperwork, and a secure storage area hadn't been provided at his home.

The theft was only brought to light when the dossier was handed in to a police station by a member of the public the next day.

Now Kent Police are taking steps to ensure the blunder doesn't happen again, after being investigated by the Information Commissioner's Office.

It found the force in breach of the Data Protection Act.

The officer at the centre of the investigation has been disciplined, it's been revealed.

As part of a raft of measures, Adrian Leppard, temporary Chief Constable of Kent Police, has signed a formal Undertaking to ensure staff whose roles require them to have access to confidential information outside the office are provided with secure transportation and storage facilities.

Policies will also be clarified, and all staff will be made aware of their requirements.

Assistant Chief Constable Allyn Thomas added:

"An officer made a mistake by leaving confidential documents in a locked briefcase that was stolen from the secure boot of his car. He has been the subject of disciplinary action and has received further training regarding data protection."

Sally-Anne Poole, enforcement group manager at the ICO, said it was essential that police forces ensured the correct safeguards were in place when storing and transferring personal information, especially when it concerns highly confidential information.

She added: "A lack of awareness of data protection requirements can lead to personal information falling into the wrong hands."