The Federation of Small Businesses is the UK’s largest campaigning pressure group promoting and protecting the interests of the self-employed and owners of small firms. Formed in 1974, it now has around 200,000 members nationally, 5,000 of those in Greater Manchester and north Cheshire.
Simon Edmondson, FSB Regional Chairman, writes…
IN MAY the FSB surveyed its members across Greater Manchester on attitudes towards crime and policing. It followed the release of new Home Office data in April showing business crime has been falling across the country since 2013.
While this trend reflects the broader crime picture nationally, the results didn’t paint quite such a rosy picture.
Two thirds of small business owners still believe police overlook crimes against small firms. Asked the question, ‘do you feel business crime is often overlooked by the police?’, 64% said ‘yes’, 16% said ‘no’, while a further 20% indicated ‘unsure’.
The same survey also revealed while just over half of small businesses (53%) had not been victims of crime in the last 24 months, 38% had been between one and three times; three per cent between 4-5 times, and five per cent six times or more.
Of those victims, 57% said they always reported the crime to police, 29% said they never did, and 14% cited ‘some but not all’ incidents were reported.
Our research also looked at the way police dealt with businesses once an incident had been reported. Had officers ‘responded appropriately, and in a timely fashion?’, respondents were asked. In response, 40% indicated ‘yes’, 35% ‘no’, and 25% said ‘sometimes’.
Unfortunately, the perception of too many small business owners is police don’t take crimes against ‘business’ as seriously as those against the ‘public’. It could well explain why some businesses don’t report all incidents. Whether this perception is right or wrong, it needs to be addressed by police.
We would always urge our members to report crimes, however small. Police can’t tackle a crime issue if they don’t know about it, and not reporting a crime only suits the people committing them.
There were some positives for the police though in our survey, which revealed business owners were largely against cuts to police budgets by the government.
In fact, 57% of survey respondents said the government should invest more on policing while 30% said spending should remain about the same. Only 13% thought police budgets should be reduced.
Small business owners rely on a safe and stable environment in which to carry out their work, and the police need to be properly resourced to make that so.
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