Crimes that affect businesses

The Home Office Commercial Victimisation Survey 2018 suggests that there have been over 300,000 assaults and threats of people working in the retail and wholesale sector over the course of a year. For advice on how to protect your staff read A health and safety guide on tackling violence at work by Unison.

Anti-social behaviour is a range of behaviours that can cause nuisance and annoyance or harm and distress to a person. We can only take information about anti-social behaviour if it is serious, criminal or causing a risk to a person. Learn more about anti-social behaviour

Also known as willful fire-raising, arson is the crime of intentionally starting a fire in order to damage or destroy something, especially a building. Learn more about how to reduce the risk of fires in your business by downloading this prevention advice for businesses leaflet from the NFCC.

Fly-tipping is the illegal deposit of any waste onto land that does not have a licence to accept it. Fly-tipping can be a risk to communities and wildlife, leading to fires and attracting arsonists. If this is a one-off, you need to contact your local authority. To report large-scale illegal dumping (such as lorries dumping rubbish) and hazardous waste, you CAN contact us anonymously

Something is classed as a robbery when force is used or threatened against a person in order to steal from them. If you have witnessed a robbery or have information regarding stolen goods, contact us today. You will remain 100% anonymous. Always. 

Shoplifting and thefts by customers are the most common crimes committed against businesses. In the 2018 Home Office Commercial Victimisation Survey theft by customer accounted for 71% of all crime against the Wholesale & Retail sector. If you have information regarding stolen goods, contact us today. You will remain 100% anonymous. Always.

Burglary is when the perpetrator has illegally entered a commercial building with intent to commit a crime, especially theft. This could be a store, office or similar structure. If you have information regarding a burglary and don’t want to talk to the police, contact us online or on the phone. You will remain 100% anonymous. Always.

ATM theft, where criminals target the machines themselves by using heavy machinery to remove them from the building where they’re situated, has a massive impact in the wider community. Businesses have to pay for the resultant damage to their infrastructure, insurance premiums can rise and the number of retail customers can be reduced.

Attempts to steal cash machines rose from 400 in 2014 to 841 in 2018 in the UK, according to SaferCash, which represents 80% of the industry. (BBC, 2019)

Rural areas are often targeted by these criminals, as they tend to have both fewer potential witness and police forces have to cover a wider geographical area.

Find out more about ATM theft on this page.

Criminals know there is a lot of money to be made by duping people into handing over cash or security details, and it can be difficult to know how to protect yourself, especially as criminal tactics are becoming more sophisticated and varied.

Criminals will sometimes go to great lengths to trick you into ‘working with them’, in some cases setting up seemingly genuine businesses.

If you have been a victim of fraud contact Action Fraud – please call 0300 123 2040.

• There are many types of fraud which can affect businesses. Visit Action Fraud to learn how to protect yourself.
• Learn more about the Take Five campaign which urges you to stop and consider whether a request to provide personal or financial information is genuine – to stop and think if what you’re being told really makes sense.
• Bank Note checking scheme