Survey business crime 'every two years'

Official Government crime figures currently ignore offences committed against firms - something which has led to business crime being given a low priority by both the Home Office and police, according to industry leaders.

The review, led by Professor Adrian Smith of Queen Mary College - and which was conducted on behalf of the Home Office - said a "fuller picture" of business crime would be available if more regular surveys were carried out.

Neither the British Crime Survey (BCS) - the Government's main barometer of crime levels - or levels of crime recorded by police take business crime into account. The only Home Office commissioned research into such crime in recent years has been its study of 'commercial and industrial victimisation'.

This research was last conducted in 2002, and before that in 1994 - a gap of eight years. Business leaders have also questioned the results of the study, which suggested that business crime had fallen over the period.

Separate studies conducted by business groups have shown that the opposite was true, with a study by the British Chambers of Commerce two years ago leading to claims that companies were suffering from a crime "epidemic".

Professor Smith's review called on the Home Office to carry out a commercial and industrial victimisation survey every two years. The report claimed this would not only provide more "useful trend data", but would prove more cost effective to Government in the long-term.

Appropriate response

A national body representing business crime partnerships across the UK - Action Against Business Crime (AABC) - said it welcomed the report's recommendation, and hoped that the Home Office would take the proposal on board.

AABC chief executive, Michael Schuck, told us: "According to the only Government figures available, business crime is going down. However, this is contrary to other statistics and everyone's general feeling about this issue.

"We would fully support a survey being conducted every two years, where the parameters were not changed. This would be a great improvement."

He added that the lack of measurement of business crime, as well as a clear universal definition, had effectively kept the matter off the police radar.

"Unless we know the extent of crime committed against businesses, then we cannot fully understand it and cannot respond to it accordingly," he said.

Way forward?

The statistics review, which was commissioned by former Home Secretary Charles Clarke amid concern over public faith in crime figures in general, also suggested that there should be changes in the way figures were issued, with a "clear distancing" from the Home Office.

Although the data should continue to be compiled by Home Office officials there should be new safeguards to ensure their independence, it said. The current annual crime figures should be published by a 'Statistics Board' rather than the Home Office, and any "political commentary" should be kept separate.

A Home Office spokesman said: "We welcome this report, which we commissioned, to help us ensure that the public have a better understanding and greater trust in crime statistics.

"This report goes some way to helping us bring greater clarity and more common sense to how we collect, describe and distribute statistics on crime. We will consider its recommendations and announce a way forward in due course."

A new Bill was announced during the Queen's Speech last week that would lead to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) becoming independent of the Government. The Statistics and Registration Services Bill will "reinforce the independence, integrity and quality of statistics produced in Government," according to the Treasury.

However, the reforms have already been branded "too weak" by Conservatives, who called for all Government figures - not just those published by the ONS - to be made independent of ministers.