Confidential papers loss examined

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Hampshire police has confirmed it has started an internal investigation after classified documents were allegedly dumped in a skip.

The documents, classified as restricted or confidential, were apparently found in a skip outside New Milton police station during building works.

The incident came to light when someone made a complaint to the force stating that the papers related to him.

Four men, from the New Forest, were arrested but released without charge.

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said the documents contained personal information, which was more than 10 years old.

He said the four men arrested were not employees of the force.

Professional Standards

"We had a third party hand those documents to us," said the spokesman.

"We were notified by a solicitor representing that person that the documents related to them and that is how we found out about them.

"A criminal investigation is under way into exactly what happened to those documents."

The incident came to light on 24 July when a solicitor representing the un-named member of the public reported the documents.

On Tuesday, the force confirmed that its inquiry centred on a claim that the documents had been thrown in a skip.

The spokesman added: "The criminal investigation is continuing alongside a separate internal inquiry by the constabulary's Professional Standards Department."