Installers’ business customers have been experiencing an increase in crime – Police are accused of not recording these crimes effectively and too few owners are aware that once they are hit by intruders they are likely to be hit again ...

A new national focus on business

crime has sparked industry initiatives to tackle the growing threat that is sparking much upgrading of security systems.

The British Security Industry Association is encouraging businesses to think more carefully before disposing of information.

It has launched a new audit procedure designed to encourage businesses to assess the risk of identity fraud and information crimes. With identity theft on the rise, many companies were unaware of the risks that their businesses face, says the BSIA.

According to another initiative, sparked by AXA Insurance, business crime was not being taken seriously enough or being recorded effectively enough. This lack of official data made it difficult for the police and businesses to tackle the problem.

Crimes were not being categorised in enough detail and because they are split only into burglary (domestic) and burglary (non domestic) it was difficult to source accurate figures.

"This makes it difficult to source accurate figures on the types of business crime as the statistics go no further, other than one category separately measuring theft from shops,” says AXA. "A whole host of other types of business are left in the dark about the crime trends that affect their sectors, regions and cities."

AXA met with business leaders and crime experts including the British Chambers of Commerce, the British Retail Consortium and Action Against Business Crime. The company's business crime research revealed that insurance settlements for business crimes during the fourth quarter of 2004 were up by more than 22 per cent when compared to the previous three months.

"The crux of the problem appears to be the fact that there is a massive gap in the official (Government and police) data available about business crime carried out in the UK" said David Williams, Claims Director.

Sentences too lenient

Research with small to medium businesses showed that businesses were not happy with the level of protection from the police or with the sentences that criminals were given.

Mike Schuck, chief executive for Action Against Business Crime, said there were two pilot schemes in place with Greater Manchester and South Wales police to identify and classify business crime in 28 different categories in order to build a more accurate picture. But he stressed that the key performance indicators that police forces work to were skewed towards domestic issues, rather than business crime.

Steven Hill, policy advisor at the British Chambers of Commerce, said their research showed that many firms were concerned about the police's failure to tackle business crime. Requiring the police to record business crime as a separate statistic would raise the profile of the issue amongst forces and should provide a greater incentive for the police to act.

Martin Gill, criminologist and Director of Perpetuity and Consultancy International, said when he asks offenders why they commit these crimes they tell him it is because it's so easy. "But it's also vital we get businesses to take more responsibility too, he said.

The meeting heard that one of the major factors businesses failed to take into account was that criminals often returned to a location to take goods replaced after a previous break-in and had the advantage that they knew the layout of the premises.

l Companies must think more carefully about disposing of confidential waste, says the BSIA.

BSIA Information Destruction Section Chairman, Simon Pearce, said the BSIA's Security Waste Audit is "designed to make companies think twice about their current attitudes to confidential waste disposal.

"A lot of businesses don't realise that the destruction of confidential documents is covered by the Data Protection Act and that using a conventional waste or recycling company is unlikely to provide the level of security necessary to ensure documents don't fall into the wrong hands."

Professional information companies can ensure that Data Protection requirements are met by shredding documents to a size from which details cannot be obtained, employing vetted personnel and providing a full audit trail concerning the whereabouts of confidential data.

The 'Security Waste Audit' provides information on shredding standards, the Data Protection Act and the environmental benefits of shredding.

Business crime is easy

Prof Martin Gill from the University of Leicester (currently undertaking a three year national study into the future of security in the UK, sponsored by OCS) says criminals tell him business crime is easy.

Speaking at the launch of the Security Research Initiative he said:
"Even when businesses take security seriously, I have found it is based on a poor understanding of what is effective. Business crime is at a high despite a plethora of security measures. The fact is that as offenders get smarter, so should security."

Source

Security Installer