POLICE have urged laptop owners to install specialist software which can take photographs of thieves.

The software can report the location of stolen laptops or mobile devices, and victims can even use built-in webcams to photograph those using the stolen equipment when it is connected to the internet.

The advice comes after a spate of opportunistic burglaries throughout the summer, in which power tools and a laptop were stolen from vehicles across the Selby district.

Sergeant Karl Simpson, of Selby Police, said: “While we are making our own inquiries, it is often in the complainants’ best interests to help us.

“However, they can help us even more by tracing any stolen equipment by using this software.”

In June, American designer Joshua Kaufman used a similar piece of software in Oakland, California to help police track down and arrest the thief who stole his Apple MacBook.

Although police originally told him the theft was a low priority and they had no resources to look into his claims, support for Mr Kaufman’s blog – called This Guy Has My MacBook – led police to follow up his investigation and arrest the thief.

Sgt Simpson warned that the software should not be used as an alternative for police inquiries, and said: “We don’t want anyone to start making their own inquiries, rather just hand any details over to us to follow up on.

“The important thing we would recommend would be to install this software sooner rather than later. Think ahead. You must install any such software before your laptop or mobile device are taken.”

North Yorkshire Police have advised residents to install software which includes Prey for Windows, MacOSX, Linux and Android devices, or FindMyiPhone, which works with Apple devices.

For more information on laptop security, go to northyorkshire.police.uk/laptop-security