Petty thieves are in every society, including schools. There’s hardly any student who has never had stationery items or devices stolen in class, and the start of the new 2026-27 session in primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions won’t be any different.

Below are five tips to protect your pens, textbooks, laptops, and phones from thieves who are also your schoolmates.

Pens and Textbooks

1) Boldly write your name with ink on all pages and edges of your textbooks, while also making little markings of your name on your pens. Thieves in class usually ignore items they find impossible to claim as theirs.

2) Ensure you don’t leave your pencils, pens and other items unattended on your desk in class. Always put them back in your bag on time. Items left unattended are usually easy to steal in class.

3) Keep your items in the biggest compartment of your bag, rather than the smaller front pockets, which are unnoticeably easier and faster to unzip and steal from.

Phones and laptops

4) There are many security applications with tracking mechanisms, lockdown or wipe facilities to ease the retrieval of a stolen device or unauthorised use.

While some devices have pre-installed apps like Android’s Device Manager, Apple’s Find My iPhone, iPad and Mac, or BlackBerry Protect, users can also choose other popular apps like AVG or Avast.

However, having apps pre-installed on your devices, or just downloading and installing them, is not enough. You have to activate and get them running.

5) To ensure easy tracking of devices, especially if stolen, users should always have written details of their devices, including IMEI number, serial number, model number, MAC address and computer name. 

Other theft preventive measures:

Always set a unique ringtone on your phone. If the phone was stolen moments ago and the criminal is still around, you can call your number from another person’s phone. Your unique ringtone can draw the thief out or reveal where you left your phone.

Purchase a theft alarm system specially made for laptops and other electronics.

Use password protection that requires you to log in every time your device goes to sleep or is turned off.

Always report the theft of your devices to the appropriate authorities immediately.