Civil servants lose 7,000 devices as 'most sensitive' data gets stolen every week

Published: 22:00, 15 August 2026 | Updated: 22:06, 15 August 2026 Civil servants have lost more than 7,300 laptops, mobile phones and other electronic devices in the past three years, costing taxpayers almost £2.7 million. Figures obtained under Freedom of Information laws show an average of 47 devices going missing every week across Government departments. Almost four in five of them were simply mislaid, with the remainder stolen. Of the 7,312 gadgets that disappeared, 4,317 were mobile phones and 2,791 were laptops, with the rest tablets and other equipment. The Home Office was the worst offender with 1,342 devices gone over the three years, of which 574 were phones and 699 laptops. It runs the police, borders, passports and immigration, and handles some of the most sensitive personal data the state holds. The Department for Work and Pensions was second with 1,041 devices missing. It processes benefits and pension records for millions of claimants, including bank details and National Insurance numbers. Third was the Ministry of Defence, having mislaid or had stolen 876 laptops and mobiles. The department admitted it had no idea what the missing equipment had cost. The Cabinet Office was fourth with 713 devices gone and the Department for Business and Trade was fifth on 642 phones and laptops gone. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport refused to confirm whether it even holds figures on devices containing sensitive data, citing that doing so could help criminals identify which departments are easiest to target. The Treasury confirmed its own lost and stolen devices did contain sensitive data, though it insisted every one was wiped remotely the moment the loss was reported. On Saturday night, William Yarwood, campaigns director of The TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'Whitehall's missing devices are a costly reminder of how casually officials can treat property paid for by taxpayers. The Home Office was the worst offender with 1,342 devices gone over the three years, of which 574 were phones and 699, laptops 'Losing thousands of phones and laptops would be bad enough in any organisation, but these departments handle some of the most sensitive data in Government. 'Ministers must recover costs where staff are negligent, tighten reporting rules and make sure officials face consequences when taxpayer-funded kit vanishes.' A Government spokesperson said: 'We take the security of Government devices extremely seriously, which is why items such as laptops and mobile phones are always encrypted so any loss does not compromise security. 'As is the case in all organisations, a very small proportion of such devices can be reported lost or stolen every year.'