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Students get free anti-theft devices

19/05/06

Students in Leeds are being offered free devices to enable them to track down stolen computers.

Initially, 80 first-year university students from the Hyde Park, Headingley and Woodhouse areas will have the opportunity to benefit from the free Computrace Plus devices, which enable stolen computers to be located if they log onto the internet from any location in the world.

As well as getting the initial device free of charge, the Yorkshire Evening News reveals that the students will be provided with a reduction in the annual tracing service fee for the first two years, paying just £25 instead of £40.

Inspector Richard Coldwell, police community safety officer, stressed how hard the theft of a computer can hit a student, as the loss of work stored on the system would seriously impact on their studies.

"This tracking device will not only act as a deterrent, it will improve our chances of recovering the computer should it be stolen," Inspector Coldwell told the Yorkshire Evening News.

"Technology is moving on at a tremendous rate and it's essential we use all resources available."

Around £1 billion of stolen items are bought every year in the UK, many of which are electrical goods such as laptops, and Inspector Coldwell advised that many thefts can be prevented simply by locking doors and windows.

In addition, many students are leaving themselves at risk of financial hardship by not obtaining home insurance for their term-time residence.

Although students understandably need to save money wherever possible, cutting costs by not insuring your valuables can backfire in the long run as the cost of replacing uninsured items will be far greater than the initial home insurance premium.