Business Crime
Crime against retail and manufacturing premises: findings from the 2002 Commercial Victimisation Survey
The Home Office published a report on the findings from the 2002 Commercial Victimisation Survey (CVS) on 28th July 2005. This is the first Government national survey of crime against manufacturers and retailers in England and Wales since 1994. The survey is important as it gives us a clearer picture of the levels and types of crime suffered by businesses. It follows a summary report published in November 2004.
Title: Crime against retail and manufacturing premises: Findings from the 2002 Commercial Victimisation Survey
Author: Jan Shury, Mark Speed, David Vivian, Alistair Kuechel, Sian Nicholas
Series: Online report 37/05
Date published: July 2005
Number of pages: 113
Availability: Download full document 
PDF (645Kb)
Summary of findings
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Three-quarters of retailers and a half of manufacturers experienced at least one crime in the previous year.
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The smallest retailers and manufacturers were least likely to have experienced both property crime and violent crime, with the largest businesses (those with 50 or more employees) at greater risk. However, this is to be expected as the number of potential crime targets (and thus potential gain for the criminal) are increased in larger premises.
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The CVS shows that crime against retailers and manufacturers was lower in 2002 compared with 1993. This finding is consistent with the British Crime Survey (BCS), which shows that crime against adults living in private households has fallen steadily since the mid 1990s.
Although the findings show a positive decline in crimes against businesses, it still remains a considerable problem for businesses and can have substantial financial implications. Concern about crime remains high within the business community, with about three-quarters of retailers and manufacturers reporting some level of concern about crime and its impact on their business and the immediate surrounding area. Therefore, the Home Office continues to take the problem of crime against business seriously and is addressing it through various measures.
A brief (6 page) summary Findings report on the same topic was published by the Home Office in November 2004. Download Home Office Findings 259: Crime against retail and manufacturing premises PDF (87Kb)
You can also view business crime reduction advice on this website.
Additional Material
In addition to the main report, the Home Office has made available 3 further supplementary web reports. The first outlines the cost to retailers of different crimes. The second gives detailed data on when and where offences against commercial premises were carried out, the outcomes for the offenders, and the reasons for these outcomes. The third presents statistical analyses (CHAID tables) that examine the likelihood of different types of retailers becoming victim of particular types of crime.
Download supplementary web report 1: costs of crime PDF (122Kb)
Download supplementary web report 2: further tables PDF (173Kb)
Download supplementary web report 3: CHAID analysis PDF (84Kb)
Last update: Friday, September 15, 2006