The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) claims that 40% of businesses leave crime unreported because of a lack of confidence in the authorities.
They released the data to highlight the impact of crime on British shopkeepers which they say includes loss of livelihood, deprivation and reduced consumer choice as small shops close.
Police surveys show that 20% of all crime is committed against businesses, which the FSB says costs the economy GB pound 19bn every year.
The FSB claims that regeneration projects in deprived areas and town centres are hit by high levels of crime. Businesses close or move away, leading to a vicious circle of unemployment and crime.
The retail sector is said to suffer the highest level of intimidation and threatening behaviour of any business sector with one third falling victim in the last year alone.
The Federation of Small Businesses will be putting up rewards, subject to consultations and in conjunction with the police, for information leading to convictions in cases where shopkeepers have been murdered.
John Walker, Policy Chairman at the FSB, said:
“The local shop is often taken for granted. It’s always there when we need it and so it is taken as a given. However, one in three small shops has been the victim of intimidation or threatening behaviour in the past year. We often hear of shopkeepers being assaulted or even murdered in their stores.”
He continued, “The Government is rightly keen to regenerate deprived areas of the country. However, they cannot do so if local businesses are closing to move elsewhere. The route to success in local regeneration lies in defeating crime. Businesses can then prosper – providing employment to youths who are currently disaffected and taking them off the streets. Economic growth will then regenerate areas in a more effective and sustainable way than any Government-funded programme could achieve.”
In March, the FSB released a ten-point action plan for cutting crime against businesses which it hopes police will follow.
