Nottingham police combat laptop theft with free tracking software
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Robbing hoodies thwarted by geo-locational security system
Nottinghamshire police are giving out free laptop tracking software in a bid to reduce endemic theft of the devices.
Police said 665 laptops were stolen in Nottingham last year, many of them belonging to students. Tracking technology is traditionally used by businesses rather than consumers, but police said they hoped that encouraging broader use of the software would deter thieves by making the stolen devices harder to fence.
Once installed, the ComputraceOne software hides itself from the user and reports the laptop’s location to a monitoring centre on a daily basis. If the computer is stolen the centre contacts police with the device’s location, and optionally deletes all data stored on the hard drive. The tracking company behind the program boasts of a 90% recovery rate.
Detective inspector Sean Anderson, who developed the scheme, said it would also allow police to gather information on known offenders and the venues they use to sell other stolen goods.
“We are extremely confident that this software will make a difference both in reducing theft of laptops and making people who own one feel safer,” he said.
Further reading
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