Is Your Business Protecting Itself Against Crime?
As someone who is
involved with a small business, you are
probably aware of just how damaging crime
against businesses can be. A new survey from
insurance group AXA has found that
preventative action can reduce crime against
your business; but the overall figures for
crime against businesses are sadly on the
rise.
The number of crime
related insurance claims dealt with by AXA
went up by 11% for April-June 2007 compared
to the same period in 2006. The biggest
increase by far was malicious damage claims,
which covers events such as deliberately
smashed windows and graffiti; this increased
by 28%.
Claims of Arson went up
by 43%, but luckily the overall number of
arson claims is still low, even if the cost
per claim is very high. There is some good
news though; incidences of theft (which
makes up over 50% of all crime related
claims) went down by 2%.
Doug Barnett, property
insurance manager at AXA said: “Criminal
activity is a growing problem for
businesses. So far this year, we have dealt
with 10 per cent more crime claims by
businesses than in 2006 and around one in
every six claims is crime related. We
believe that businesses are making more of
an effort to protect themselves from crime
and are pleased to see that incidences of
theft have actually decreased this quarter
but acts of petty vandalism, which can be
more difficult to guard against, are
increasing dramatically.”
Gareth Elliott, Policy
Adviser at the British Chambers of Commerce,
said: “What this survey continues to
highlight is the increasing amount of crime
related to business. Even though businesses
have taken measures to reduce crime they are
fighting an ongoing battle that is becoming
increasingly difficult to wage. Until there
is a reliable definition of business crime
with which national police forces can record
crime statistics the true extent of crimes
against businesses will not be fully known.”
With the average
settlement being £4,778, this survey shows
both how important it is to take steps to
prevent crime against your business; and
also the value of having adequate insurance
cover.
For more on Shop and Employee Security read
our article here.
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