Laptops seem to be the number one object of desire for thieves, according to a recent media report released by the Grahamstown Police Station this week.
Laptops seem to be the number one object of desire for thieves, according to a recent media report released by the Grahamstown Police Station this week.
A series of burglaries have lead to the theft of six laptops amounting to over R27 000. Only one out of the six laptops was recovered. Vijay Sonne of Albany Computers in High Street commented that "you are a target as soon as you’ve got a laptop". When asked about what security measures one can undertake to prevent becoming yet another statistic, he suggested that one buys a laptop lock that fits into a slot on your computer which attaches the laptop to the desk.
However, Sonne said that these locks can be ripped out of the computer, ruining the body but still allowing the hard drive to be used. "It is still worth getting," he said and some insurance companies recommend them. Other safety precautions that can be taken are: locking your laptop away; if you leave it in your car lock it in the boot; use a security password and always back up your work in case it is stolen.
According to the police, most laptops are recovered within the first 48 hours after which the chances of recovering it are very low. But nothing is ever impossible as proved by Paula Gilbert’s story. A student at Rhodes University, Gilbert had her laptop stolen last year from her digs. While she was out, a burglar pulled the bars off the window and broke into the house. Numerous items were stolen, including her laptop. With the help of the Crime Intelligence Unit in High Street, Gilbert was lucky enough to get her laptop back within three days.
She was asked to identify it and it was found that subsequently a security password had been enabled on it. Coincidentally, a man standing behind her at the station, admitted that he had bought her laptop but claimed he had not realised that the laptop was stolen. He was therefore able to disable the password Gilbert found her photographs had been deleted but her assignments were still saved and intact.
