Business Crime - The Facts

Almost six out of ten small and medium-sized companies have been victims of 'business crime', and most owners do not bother to report offences to the police.

This is the conclusion of research carried out independently by the CBI and FSB who confirm that all business crime is a problem, and that while many suffer the consequences of it, few report the matter to the police as they do not believe the offender(s) will be caught.

A third report from the insurer, Royal Sun Alliance, found that in 2007, one in four businesses were affected by crime at least once, and as many as 82,000 businesses were affected by crime on five or more occasions.

In some cases, crime can close a business down or be a contributing factor towards the business relocating. This is not only bad for the business, but also bad for the sustainability of the local business community and local employment.

Of those businesses that suffered loss or damage, theft was the most common incident (64%) with 42% experiencing vandalism, 9% violence and 7% arson. In 13,000 cases , the severity of the crime was so large that the companies were forced to close while repairs were carried out

According to a FSB's crime spokesman:

"There is a perception among business owners that the UK is experiencing a crime epidemic and that no one cares. Sentences are lower for commercial burglaries than domestic burglaries, and criminal damage and theft from commercial premises has effectively been decriminalised."

The Spokesman continues:

"The Government sets 13 targets for the police and non of them feature businesses".