UK police investigate passport robbery

The Greater Manchester Police in the United Kingdom said they have launched an investigation into the theft of 3,000 passports and visas worth approximately 2.5 million pounds.



Officials said the documents were stolen when the driver of the vehicle transporting them stopped to buy a newspaper in Oldham, Greater Manchester.



The Foreign Office has admitted a serious breach of security over the loss of the documents.



The passport service said thieves could not use the stolen documents because of their hi-tech embedded chip security features.



However, fraud experts said they can still be used as a form of identification and even for travel in countries where the chip technology is not used.



Chairman of the influential Commons Home Affairs Committee, Keith Vaz, wants an inquiry into UK passport security.