Lib Dems in Hertfordshire have expressed concern over news that the constabulary computer has been hacked into by people supposedly supporting controversial campaigner Julian Assange.

Chris White, police spokesperson for the Hertfordshire Lib Dem Group, said: ‘The public will rightly be very worried that this could have happened at all in an organisation which should by definition by conscious about security and cybercrime.

‘I welcome the fact that there is to be an investigation, but it is vital in these cases that any inquiry is independent and the results – as far as practicable – are made public. It is too easy for organisations to give themselves a pat on the back in these circumstances and breathe a complacent sigh of relief.’

He added: ‘The public will need assurance that private data has not been stolen or tampered with and that their communications with the police will not be posted on the Internet by misguided Assange supporters. They will want to know what precisely is going to be done to make the system safe in future.’