Burglary costs Britain’s small businesses on average £2k and the British economy over £1.8bn
New research commissioned by Verisure, Europe’s leading provider of monitored security solutions and the UK’s leader in new security alarms, has revealed the average property loss reported by senior decision makers in the event of a burglary is £2k. Furthermore, 37% of small businesses keep equipment worth £10k or more on their premises, according to the findings.
Horacio Perez, operations director at Verisure UK, said:
“99% of all private sector enterprises in the UK are small businesses, accounting for £1.9tn turnover and 60% of UK private sector employment. The disruption caused by a burglary can dramatically affect a business and its employees. These losses are not only caused by the cost of replacing equipment but the greater impact of time and resource in sorting out the aftermath of a burglary. The ramifications of these costs can be felt even more broadly given these small businesses are the backbone of the UK’s economy – over £1.8bn.”
The research, carried out by YouGov, also found that:
• 47% of all burgled small businesses were targeted more than once, according to senior decision makers, potentially increasing the financial impact to £2.8bn.
• Small businesses in the manufacturing sector were the worst affected by burglaries with 10% of senior decision makers saying their current workplace had been burgled in the past three years.
• 9% of senior decision makers surveyed in business less than five years old had experienced a burglary in the last year.
Horacio said:
“While the reasons for this increase in risk are obvious. We urge small businesses to take a more proactive approach to their security and be hands-on when it comes to guarding their premises, reducing burglary risk as much as possible, therefore protecting their business and, in turn, their livelihood.”
Verisure has invested £5m in developing a new smart alarm, ZeroVision, that enables businesses to protect their premises remotely by physically attempting to prevent a burglary. The ZeroVision Alarm physically stops a burglary from occurring by generating a zero-visibility situation in the event of an intrusion, preventing the burglar from seeing while inside the premises, and forcing them to abandon the property immediately.
Remotely activated, ZeroVision expels a dense and bothersome fog that prevents the intruder from seeing. The alarm is connected to Verisure’s Alarm Receiving Centre which means that the premises are then protected while the police and Verisure’s security guard service arrive at the property.
Horacio added:
“Our police force is facing more cuts to resource more than ever before. Ultimately, if we are going to manage the threat of burglary and external theft from our business premises, we need to embrace the responsibility and educate ourselves on how technology can help us to do this and prevent physical break-ins.”