Companies urge more effort to combat ‘invisible’ business crime

London First – A membership organisation whose mission is to make the Capital the “best City in the world in which to do business” – has just published a report entitled ‘Consultation with Business on Crime and Policing in London’ which calls on the Government and the Metropolitan Police Service to increase their efforts when it comes to combating criminal activities against businesses.

The report points to the recent successful collaborations with police, but urges both the police and central Government to “up the ante” in their work to fight business crime which, if left unchecked, can have a seriously damaging effect on the UK’s economy.

In essence, London First – whose members represent over 300 of the Capital’s leading organisations – is calling for partnership projects at both a local and pan-London level to be “developed and strengthened” such that the police can provide a “more tailored response” to the needs of business.

Clive Ansell – BT Group strategy director and chair of London First’s business advisory group – told SMT: “Although less visible than other forms of crime, and with no obvious or direct victims, crime against business is a serious problem. Unfortunately, all-too-often it’s a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. We need Government, police and business to identify together how best to tackle this issue. This means defining those instances where business can expect the police to act, and those where business should find a solution of its own. In this way, we can hopefully come up with a pragmatic solution that suits everyone involved.”

Commander Rod Jarman of the Metropolitan Police Service added: “We welcome any suggestions on how we can improve the service we provide to local business right across London. The Metropolitan Police Service has worked for many years with London First, which has provided a valuable insight into the needs of business and how the police can best respond to them. The new report builds on that successful relationship.”

During the past two years, the Met has rolled out Safer Neighbourhoods teams across London which are now forging stronger links with residents and local businesses. The report does provide a number of practical suggestions on how this way of working might be developed in the future.

The report also makes a number of practical suggestions as to how business confidence can be increased through improving local communications and creating better local support. These include the appointment of business liaison officers and a clearer understanding of priorities governing police response to incidents.

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