The British Chambers of Commerce has called on the government to strengthen support for companies after new research found that two-fifths of firms had experienced some form of crime over the past year.
The business group, which represents tens of thousands of companies across the UK, said crime was forcing bosses to divert time and money away from growth and investment.
A survey of 1,411 businesses found that a fifth had been hit by fraud or scams, while 21 per cent said they had experienced cyber attacks.
BCC policy manager Ellis Shelton said crime against businesses was now becoming “a serious barrier to growth and investment across the UK”.
“Our research shows many firms are dealing with rising levels of theft, fraud and cyber attacks,” he said.
“Bosses are being forced to divert crucial time and money to tackling this anchor on growth.
“Crime is becoming more sophisticated and there needs to be a step change in the support businesses can count on.”
The BCC is urging ministers to introduce a dedicated cyber attack reporting system for companies, create regional business crime hubs bringing together police and business crime reduction partnerships, and expand cyber and fraud resilience support for SMEs.
It has also called for more incentives to help firms invest in security.
A string of major cyber attacks hit UK businesses last year, including Marks & Spencer, Co-op, Jaguar Land Rover and Booking.com.
M&S said it took a £324m hit to profits after the retailer was forced to suspend online orders for more than six weeks following a damaging cyber attack.
The Jaguar Land Rover hack has been estimated to have cost the UK economy £1.9bn, making it potentially the most expensive cyber attack in British history.
Retailers have also continued to raise concerns over shoplifting, with police-recorded offences rising 20 per cent year on year to 516,971 in the 12 months to December 2024. By March 2025, the annual total had climbed above 530,000.
The issue has become an increasingly urgent concern for the sector, with retailers investing heavily in security, staff protection and loss prevention measures as incidents of theft, abuse and violence continue to rise.
A separate BCC survey carried out last autumn found that larger companies were more likely to be affected by crime, rising from 32 per cent of microbusinesses to 58 per cent of firms employing more than 250 people.
Manufacturing was the hardest-hit sector, with half of companies reporting that they had experienced business crime.
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