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A specialist business crime prevention service has handled almost 200 reported incidents of suspected criminal activity in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire this year and is urging more firms to make sure they protect their premises, staff and customers.

BusinessWatch, a service facilitated by the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with police and local authority partners in both counties, has responded to more than 180 calls for assistance from local businesses since January.

And it warns that with the forthcoming National Minimum Wage increase in October and VAT due to rise to 20% in January, both prices and the cost employing people will rocket and many firms may not be adequately prepared and may overlook their security needs. 

Yet by not taking simple precautions against crime, businesses could face a bill running into hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds.

Recent figures show that the average business loses £5,000 to crime every year, with criminal activities ranging from simple theft or vandalism right up to complicated fraud all having a damaging effect. It has been estimated that crime costs British businesses a staggering £12.6bn-a-year, equating to £442m in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

BusinessWatch aims to help firms boost their security and prevent crime by working with them to identify potential risks and problems and provide viable, sustainable and cost-effective solutions. The scheme was launched in 1995 and has since helped to improve security for more than 2,500 companies.

As well as arranging the provision of security services to local firms, BusinessWatch also includes a number of sector specific schemes targeting individual areas, including ShopWatch for retail premises, PubWatch for bars, clubs, restaurants and other licensed establishments, RadioWatch for all types of organisations and a WorkerWatch scheme aimed at protecting individual employees who work alone or in remote locations.

And members benefit from regular intelligence from other local businesses and agencies about incidents in their local area.

Scott Knowles, Deputy Chief Executive of the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber, said: "Business crime remains a serious issue which not only affects companies, but can also have a knock-on impact on the economy in general, so it is absolutely crucial that firms do all they can to protect their premises, equipment, product holdings, staff and customers.

"The Chamber's BusinessWatch service can help provide innovative and cost efficient solutions to meet all of your security needs. With recent advances in technology, there are a number of cost effective security measures which can be put into place which can pay dividends when it comes to protecting your business from crime.

"These range from simple procedures, security lights, cameras and alarms to specialist systems to protect high-value goods and product. BusinessWatch can also work to your budget when arranging for permanent security guards, alarm response or patrols of your premises."

To find out more, contact the BusinessWatch team on 01246 212909 or visit www.businesswatch.org.