In brief...: Crime costs are soaring

Apr 11 2008

The cost of crimes against businesses has soared by 20 per cent in the past few years and is now costing firms £12.6billion.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said the annual total equated to one-sixth of all crimes committed in the UK.

The business group has written to the Government calling for more action to tackle offences against firms, including making the police record all business crime.

A survey of 3,900 businesses for the BCC found that almost two out of three had been the victim of crime in the past year. The worst crime rates were on industrial estates, shopping parades and out-of-town sites.