40% of small firms targeted by criminals in past year

06/02/2006 - 08:00:14
Crime is costing Irish businesses hundreds of millions of euros every year, according to a survey carried out by the Small Firms Association.

The association said 41% of its members had reported being victims of crime in the past 12 months, with each incident costing an average of €5,400.

It said theft of stock was the most common offence, accounting for 21% of crimes reported by SFA members over the past year.

This is followed by criminal damage at 20%.

The SFA said crimes against small businesses were officially costing a total of around €450m-a-year, but the real figure could be three times this when matters like lost production, extra security and increased insurance premiums are taken into account.