How did the burglar get into your house?
The burglar gained access by kicking in a basement window, which is partially hidden from view from the street. I was in my bedroom at the time (which is in the attic).
What happened following the incident?
The police came round about an hour after the incident. They stayed for about an hour, did a search of the property, asked what had been taken and took brief witness statements. They then helped us to activate the LoJack software which had previously been installed on the stolen laptops. My landlord came round to board up the broken window. We phoned the insurance companies the following day and had to provide proof of purchase for the stolen items. The police came round to dust for prints and a few days after that to take full witness statements. The police kept us updated with information about the stolen laptops as they were being traced.
What were the main concerns of your housemates when they realised their laptops had been stolen?
They were mainly concerned about having lost their photos and music on their laptops. Luckily they had hard copies or back-ups of coursework.
How would you explain what LoJack/Computrace is to other students?
It’s a piece of software which, when activated, allows the computer to be traced whenever it is connected to the Internet.
At the time of the burglary I didn't have the LoJack software on my computer (which wasn't stolen), but after having both of my friends' stolen laptops returned I got it installed very quickly. I very much doubt that the laptops would have been traced and consequently returned to their owners without the software.