‘Low priority’ crime still on the rise

The findings came from Axa’s Business crime Index, which is based on Axa claims database. They reveal that between April and June the value of the average crime-related business insurance settlement was £3,743.

According to research carried out on Axa’s behalf, half of all employers claim that one of the main reasons why there is so much criminal activity against businesses is that there is a lack of police presence as well as security systems such as CCTV. Overall, 59 per cent of businesses think that their local authorities could do more to protect them from crime.

Criminal activity targeted towards employers accounts for nearly one in five of all business insurance claims settled by Axa. The company says that as many as three out of four retailers and half of all manufacturers could experience at least one criminal act during the course of a year.

The report indicates that the most frequent type of crime-related claim settled is theft, followed by malicious damage. Violent crime represents a very small number of claims in the Business Crime Index as few incidents result in financial loss. But the insurer says this underestimates the true scale of the problem because up to one in four retailers could experience violent criminal activity over the course of a year.

Axa’s property insurance manager Neil Mercier said: “These results highlight how serious and prevalent the threat of criminal activity is for businesses. Employers must remain vigilant at all times and take precautions to minimise the risk to their premises and employees.”

Professor Martin gill of Perpetuity Research and Consultancy International said: “It is striking to find that victims lament the lack of police interest in business crime. This is common. However, it is not likely to change. While there are some excellent schemes helping businesses, especially in some city centres, business crime remains a low police priority.” Steven Hill, policy advisor for the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “BCC will continue to call for all police forces to record business crime as a separate statistic. This will ensure that the problem is properly measured and should spur more forces to take action.”

• The BSIA has produced a guide to the Data Protection Act aimed at users of information destruction services. It outlines the implications of the Data Protection Act for businesses and how companies can assist in meeting legal obligations.