Laptop theft up 6% in UK

A new report from silicon.com reveals a sharp rise in laptop theft in the UK.

Data from the 28 UK police forces, who answered a Freedom of Information Act enquiry by silicon.com, shows an average year-on-year increase in the number of laptops stolen of six per cent.

The serious problems created by data loss and accidental disclosure have been highlighted in recent months by a number of high-profile cases, with Nationwide building society and the Metropolitan Police among public and private sector organisations to report laptop thefts.

Devon and Corwall recorded a massive increase of 45 percent in the number of laptops stolen, from 276 in 2005 to 401 in 2006.

In terms of numbers, the Metropolitan Police area was particularly badly affected. The area had 6,576 laptop thefts during 2006, an increase of almost 15% from 5,735 in 2005 and this figure only includes laptops stolen while being used or carried outside of the office or home.

However, some police forces did report significant progress with reducing laptop theft. Gloucester reported a drop of 34.7 per cent in the number of laptops stolen, from 239 in 2005 to 156 in 2006.