Thames Valley Police has worked with leading business people in the city to produce its first Milton Keynes Business Crime Strategy, which aims to inform, educate and equip employers and staff to tackle the various crime threats they face.
The strategy focuses in particular on crime committed using technology, which local policing area commander Superintendent Vince Grey (pictured) described as a “growing and complicated issue”.
It is the first formal plan in Milton Keynes to focus specifically on offences against businesses and has been put together with Milton Keynes Busines Leaders Partnership.
Supt Grey said: “This is a great opportunity for both the police and local businesses in Milton Keynes to tackle the ever growing and complicated issue of crime committed through the use of technology.
“Wherever possible we would seek to combine our resources and expertise to disrupt this criminality and reduce the cost of crime across the business sector.”
The strategy is available via the MKBLP website www.mkblp.co.uk.
Chair Dr Philip Smith said: “Crime is a problem that creates an extra cost for all businesses, their clients and customers. The growth of online fraud, identity theft and cybercrime adds a new complexity that the whole business community must understand and defend themselves against.
“Until this year Milton Keynes did not have a specific strategy to tackle business crime but with Thames Valley Police MK Business Leaders has started the ball rolling by pulling one together and together all of us can protect ourselves, our businesses and customers.”
Nationally, in 2013 business fraud alone totalled £52 billion, 41 per cent of the cost of crime to retailers, while 90pc of large businesses and 74pc of smaller firms have experienced a breach of their cyber security.
