STRUGGLING BUSINESSES FACE GROWING THREAT OF CRIME AGAINST THEM

As many small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) struggle to survive the current economic instability, there is an additional threat on the horizon to add to their worries. Up to a third of SME owners believe crime against businesses is on the rise; a view supported by Home Office criminologists, who earlier this year predicted that the credit crunch would bring an end to falling crime rates.

The Most common type of crime against business is theft from premises, fraud, malicious damage and theft from a vehicle. Other types of crime noted from SME’s included online fraud and theft from staff. The average cost for a claim amounted to £3,409, which is money the business owner would have to find if they didn’t have adequate business insurance cover.

Furthermore, it is not just a case of one-off crimes.  Of the SME's that had been a victim, 35% had been targeted more than three times and 36% experienced an incident in the last 12 months.

To help businesses reduce the risk of falling victim to crime, Castle Grove Insurance has produced some crime prevention tips. These tips are designed to offer businesses useful information on how to protect themselves.

Many in the SME community believe that crime against businesses is on the increase. At Castle Grove we understand how disruptive a claim can be and therefore want to help businesses avoid being a victim of crime. Our Crime Prevention Advice is a small step towards achieving this.

Compounding the fact that business crime is not recorded separately by the police, it seems that many SME's choose not to report the incident with 29% of victims saying they didn’t see the point.

To ensure that your business has the right insurance protection in place why not call us now on 01438 723755 to speak to a member of our knowledgeable team.