West Midlands Police is conducting an urgent search for a memory stick after a police officer lost it on duty.
The force has informed the Home Office of the loss, and referred the issue to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which has launched an inquiry.
"West Midlands Police is carrying out searches in an attempt to recover the lost data memory stick. We will not be commenting in relation to the contents of the stick," said a West Midlands Police spokesman.
The inquiry will look at the circumstances surrounding the loss, procedures in place at the force which aim to protect sensitive information and whether they are compliant with legal requirements on data protection.
Len Jackson, IPCC Commissioner, said: "This is an extremely serious matter. We will use our own independent investigators to examine the circumstances surrounding the loss of this data stick.
"I will ensure that we carry out a timely and proportionate investigation. It is important that we establish the facts in this case and identify any lessons to be learned in order to reduce the risk of such incidents occurring again."
Unconfirmed reports suggest that the stick contained information on terrorist investigations.
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