Police have been investigating a possible link between a theft of computer equipment from a college in Dundee and previous burglaries at education establishments.

Officers were called to Northern College at Dundee where an as yet unspecified amount of equipment was stolen.

It was understood highly sophisticated components were removed from computer terminals.

The theft followed recent incidents at Dundee University and Edinburgh University and one theory being explored was that the same gang may have been responsible.

However, a police source said that while no theories were being ruled out at such an early stage, there were "significant differences" between the theft at Northern College and the other incidents.

More than �500,000 worth of computer equipment was stolen in a burglary at the science complex at Edinburgh University's Kings Buildings last month.

Then staff at Dundee University were forced to work round the clock to recover data lost when servers with an estimated value of �100,000 were stolen.

Police have recorded incidents in the past where hardware and software have been stolen to order.