98% of Irish SMEs believe the judicial system to be ineffective in the fight against business crime, according to ISME, the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association.
Released on 15 August, ISME’s National Crime Survey also estimates the total cost of crime against businesses at €1.83b annually, with 31% of businesses the victim of crime in the past twelve months.
Commenting on the figures, ISME CEO Mark Fielding said; “The reduction of business crime is fundamental to business prosperity and is not being prioritised by government. The business community has the right to expect that, when found guilty; a perpetrator of crime against business will be dealt with appropriately within the legal system. This survey clearly shows that there is a total lack of faith in the justice system, as 98% of respondents feel that it is ineffective in dealing with business crime.”
As a result of this lack of confidence, ISME claims more than one in five crimes go unreported, a fact that further complicates the task of assessing crime levels and formulating responses. Currently, reported crimes are classed ‘domestic’ or ‘non-domestic’, with no special classification for ‘Commercial or Business Crime’. ISME called for the introduction of a single, national definition for business crime to enable such offences to be properly ‘tagged’, measured, analysed and ultimately solved by the Gardaí.
With the cost of actual crimes against businesses now running at half a billion euro, and another €1.3bn being spent on security, Fielding concluded; “The €1.83bn that is being drained from the economy through business crime could be better used in creating jobs and developing businesses.”
© 2016 - Checkout Magazine by Ingmar Kiang
