Whatever this information was being used for, right or wrong, it does not excuse the way it has been handled. It should have been made secure. As someone who has lost his data in this incident, the most annoying part is not that this data was being kept, because as someone who is serving this is expected, but the fact that it was stored in such an irresponsible manner.
I have found myself asking the same questions that have been posed on here several times, why did this chap have these details to take home with him, why were they not encrypted, and why (ffs) did he leave them in his car? If he was doing something dodgy (not neccessarily for personal gain, but just flaunting the I.T. rules to meet deadlines or something along those lines), then why on earth was he not taking EXTRA care?
And as for sending a photocopy of my details off to Glasgow? The jury is still out on that one...