Passport service cracks down on £1.3bn UK ID theft

The UK Passport service has brought in new procedures to crack down on ID theft until new biometric 'smart' passports are introduced from 2005.

According to the government 166,000 passports were lost and stolen last year, contributing to a £1.3bn bill for identity theft.

Home Office Minister Beverly Hughes said in a statement: "While we develop these, we are making it more difficult for criminals to use stolen or lost documents. But the public must also play a role - taking care of their passports and reporting them promptly if they are lost or stolen."

From Monday, people whose passport is lost or stolen will need to complete a new form to obtain a new one. The new form will reduce ID fraud by more accurately tracking UK residents' passport data and details relating to the missing passport.

The UKPS also said people need to take more responsibility for looking after their passports. It claims people don't keep it in a safe place and that 15 per cent of people only start looking for it a few hours before a trip, and 3 per cent leave home for a trip without their passport.

The government launched a trial this week involving 10,000 volunteers for ahead of the possible introduction of compulsory biometric ID cards.