The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has launched an investigation after a trove of sensitive military information was discovered discarded in a Newcastle street.
The documents, some marked "official – sensitive", were found spilling from a black bin bag in the Scotswood area on March 16.
According to the BBC, the papers contain details about soldiers' ranks, shift patterns, email addresses, weapon issue records, and access information for military facilities. The documents appear to relate to units stationed at Catterick Garrison. The MoD is treating the incident seriously and has initiated a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the security breach.
Among them was a sheet reportedly headed “armoury keys and hold IDS codes” – believed to reference an armoury and intruder detection system.
The find was made by Mike Gibbard, a football fan from Gateshead, who stumbled across the documents while parking ahead of Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup final clash with Liverpool.
He told the BBC he was shocked by what he saw.
“I peered down and started to see names on bits of papers, and numbers, and I thought ‘what’s that?’” he said.
“They were piled up against a wall, in a black bag, in the road, underneath cars – spread all the way up the road.”
He said he found more documents on the other side of the road and was alarmed by the contents.
“Details of the perimeter, the patrol, checking weapons in and out, requests for leave, mobile phone numbers, high-ranking officers,” he told the BBC.
“This shouldn’t be here, anyone could pick it up.”
Government guidance states that some “official – sensitive” documents could pose a “threat to life” if compromised.
The documents were handed in to Northumbria Police and a spokesperson said they were subsequently given to the MoD.
In a statement, a MoD spokesperson said: “We are aware that documentation allegedly relating to the department was recently handed in to the police.
“We are looking into this urgently and the matter is the subject of an ongoing internal investigation.”
Government guidelines recommend that sensitive documents be destroyed using shredders or “burn bags”.
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