Please find below a statement from the Department of Corrections:

Please attribute to Chief Executive of the Department of Corrections, Barry Matthews:

“Considerable progress has been made in recovering the file that was mislaid in Auckland yesterday. Police have been assured that the file contents are safe and will not be copied or distributed. We have been assured that the file will be returned and every effort is being made to ensure this happens as soon as possible.

“We are deeply concerned about this serious breach of security. It is unacceptable that this occurred and we are conducting an investigation to determine the circumstances.

“Our staff routinely work with sensitive and confidential information and the Department has procedures in place to prevent this information being accessed by unauthorised people.

“Unfortunately, it appears that these weren’t followed on this occasion and appropriate action will be taken. We are also looking at what immediate steps we can take to prevent it happening again.”

ENDS

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