Thirty one per cent of businesses have been the victim of crime in the past twelve months and 45% of those have experienced more than two incidents.

This is according to the latest National Crime Survey released today by the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME) today.

The report indicates that more than one in five crimes go unreported as a result of 98% reporting a lack of faith in the legal system. It is estimated that crime against business is costing Ireland €1.83b annually.

According to ISME CEO, Mark Fielding, “In order to tackle crime against business, the Garda need to know the scale and scope of the situation. It is essential that we record incidents against business separately from other types of crime, to allow for the allocation of proper resources to deal with business crime.”

He added, “Until this issue is taken more seriously at official level, business owners will remain fatalistic about the legal system and not put in the time and money into reporting a crime unless they are convinced of adequate action being taken against the perpetrators of crime in their businesses.”

Article source: Business World

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