11% increase in the number of crime related claims in Q2 2007 compared to the same period in 2006
The number of business crime claims settled between April and June 2007 is 11% higher than the same period in 2006, according to the latest findings from the AXA Business Crime Index.
Malicious damage claims, a term which covers acts of vandalism such as deliberately smashed windows and grafitti, have increased by 28% between the two periods. AXA also found that the number of arson claims have risen by 43%. However, it reported that incidences of theft have decreased 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% 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.”
AXA said that despite the decline in the number of theft related crime claims, it remains the most common cause, accounting for around half (52.8%) of the total.
For the first time since the index started, malicious damage accounted for more than 40% of crime claims in the second quarter of this year. The average crime claim settlement amount was £4,778 (up from £4,020 in quarter one this year and £4,024 at the same time last year).
Despite the 11% increase in the number of crimes reported between the second quarter of 2006 and 2007, 11 of the 15 cities measured in the crime by city table reported a proportional decrease in crime related claims over the same period.
Bristol is ranked bottom of the city business crime table this quarter, with more than one in four claims resulting from criminal activity between April and June this year. At the other end of the table, in Newcastle, just over one in ten claims was crime related.
