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Reporting of crime against small retail businesses
The Australian Institute of Criminology has published this paper as part of a project investigating crimes against small businesses, funded by the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department's National Crime Prevention Program. Data from the Small Business Crime Survey shows under-reporting of some crimes by small retail businesses.
Title: Reporting of crime against small retail businesses
Authors: Kate Charlton & Natalie Taylor
Series: Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No 242
Number of pages: 6 pages
Date published: February 2003
This paper uses data from the Small Business Crime Survey, collated at the end of 1999 via a postal questionnaire. It covers six retail sectors:
Cafes/restaurants/takeaways
General stores/milk bars
Liquor outlets
Service stations
Newsagencies
Pharmacies
and focuses on the levels of crime actually reported to police, whether reporting varied with crime type and the main reasons underlying reporting/non-reporting behaviour by small businesses.
Findings show that while burglary and robbery incidents were substantially more likely to be reported to police than other types of crime, shoplifting and employee theft were unlikely to be reported. In all crime types, completed crimes were more likely to be reported than attempted crimes. Reasons for not reporting crimes are complex and varied but perceived seriousness of the crime, insurance claim requirement, previous victim history, attitudes towards the police and time and effort involved in reporting are some of the major factors.
The findings are important, not only because they reveal that police records do not accurately reflect the extent of some types of crime against businesses, but because the potential emphasis on burglary and robbery as the most common crime problems for businesses may mean that allocation of resources and crime prevention strategies are not directed effectively.
Earlier findings from the Small Business Crime Survey are also published in the Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice series:
Patterns of victimisation amongst small retail businesses No 221 March 2002
Financial and psychological costs of crime for small retail businesses No 229 June 2002
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View the full list of Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice papers from the Australian Institute of Criminology.
Thanks to the European Crime Prevention Network (EU CPN) for highlighting this publication.
Last update: 05/03/03