Businesses are 'forgotten victims' of UK crime

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said it wanted the Home Office, the police and local authorities to do more to do more to tackle crime against business, which it said cost £19 billion every year.

It added that 40% of firms did not even bother to report crimes because they believed "it wouldn't achieve anything". When incidents were reported it was mainly to obtain a crime number for an insurance claim, rather than because the business expected anyone to be caught.

David Croucher, FSB home affairs chairman, said: "Crime against businesses makes up at least 20% of all crimes, but the authorities do not put the same priority on them as they do on domestic crime. Businesses are the victims of the forgotten fifth of crime in the UK.

"Fifty seven percent of small businesses have been the victims of at least one crime in the past year. Owners and staff are left traumatised and businesses can close, costing jobs, if repeated crimes are not tackled and stopped."

'Fragmented approach'

Mr Croucher went on to say that the challenge for the Government and the police was to put crime against businesses "on their priority list" and to "end the current fragmented approach".

"They will find businesses willing partners at local, regional and national level," he said. "The jobs and livelihoods of many of the 12 million people that work for small firms depend on the authorities finally getting their act together to tackle crimes against businesses."

The Federation published an 'action plan' which included a list of recommendations for Home Office, police and local authorities to follow.

It is seeking a "national definition" of crimes against business, and wants the police to group existing categories of crime which target businesses under a ‘business crime’ heading.

It also would like the Government to conduct a survey of business crime every two years, improve regional policing and provide more support to local business crime and fraud forums.

Working together

One area of the country which has benefited from police, local authority and businesses working more closely to tackle crime is East Manchester, according to the FSB report.

High crime rates had driven many firms out of the area. However, businesses were now returning following the introduction of a 'Safer Neighbourhoods' project, which had reduced "low-level crime" such as vandalism and graffiti by 10%.

The FSB said it hoped that new 'neighbourhood policing teams' - which are being rolled out across all areas of the country by April 2008 - would focus on business crime.

"These teams should make sure that they recognise the business community as a separate group with a distinctive voice and make consulting with them a priority about the sort of response and support they need," said the FSB report.

It added that such schemes could work both-ways, with businesses offering free space to police officers to do paperwork, rather than them having to return to the station, and also helping with intelligence gathering.