The post you are reporting:
The basic levels of security document marking used by the Home Office are RESTRICTED, CONFIDENTIAL, SECRET and TOP SECRET, and each demands a greater risk of protection and security in transmission. I expect the information in the dossier would have been SECRET or above. By HO definitions the compromise of SECRET information or material would be likely:
- to raise international tension;
- to damage seriously relations with friendly governments;
- to threaten life directly, or seriously prejudice public order, or individual security or liberty;
- to cause serious damage to the operational effectiveness or security of UK or allied forces or the continuing effectiveness of highly valuable security or intelligence operations;
- to cause substantial material damage to national economic and commercial interests;
- to lead to additional government expenditure on a scale likely to affect the UK economy as a whole.
Such information needs a clear audit trail, and should never be left on public display. My guess is that it should have at least been double bagged in an unmarked envelope and should have been kept in a locked briefcase.
The fact that it was carelessly flaunted in front of the cameras is a security breach of the highest order and absolutely unforgivable to someone in Bob Quicks position as anti-terrorism Police chief. It is absolutely right that he has fallen on his sword, and so quickly and without fuss, over this compromise over security legislation.
If he had not, it would make a mockery of the stringent Home Office security regulations. Sanctions over security, and especially if lives were potentially put at risk, should not be grade specific - a breach is a breach.
At least he has shown principles over his mistake and not squirmed looking for self justifying excuses unlike practically all of our trough snouting excuses for parliamentary polititicians.