The 2024 Business Retail Consortium has recently published the results of its 2024 retail crime survey. Some of the highlights around cybercrime and fraud include:

• 53% of retailers reported an increase in online theft, with online fraud increasing over threefold to £99.7 million from £30 million.

• 29% (38% if you include theft of customer data) of retailers see cyber security as one of the top three threats to their business, behind only violence and abuse, customer theft and fraud

The Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre (ECRC) and the National Association of Business Crime Partnerships (NABCP) are really excited to announce a new collaboration with each other. The NABCP are now recognised as an official ‘Friend of the ECRC’. Friends of the Centre are organisations that have aligned views on the importance of cyber security when it comes to protecting their members from criminals.

Paul Lopez, MD of the ECRC said:

This is a new and exciting development for both the ECRC and the CRC network more widely. Our centres, which are staffed by police and funded by the Home Office, offer free membership to any organisation that wishes to join. Whilst store theft staff assaults remain high up on the retail crime prevention agenda, the ongoing rise of fraud and cyber in the retail space continues to cause huge financial losses for retailers and customers alike. This new partnership will allow our organisations to promote the excellent work that both are involved in to protect the interests of retailers online and in the real world.

Sophie Jordan of the NABCP said:

Reducing business crime is at the core of what we do. We have over 30 years’ worth of experience serving and supporting the business community, and we are continually looking at how we can support businesses in the modern world. Our work impacts over 20, 000 businesses across the UK many of whom are at risk from cyber criminals, but in many cases don’t recognise it and as a consequence are poorly prepared when thing go wrong. This new approach with the Cyber Resilience Centre network will help raise awareness of the cyber threat and help our members, and the businesses they represent, to be better prepared for the future.

Businesses looking to join their CRC for free should go to the National Centre website to find which regional centre they should join.

Businesses looking to find out more about their local Business Crime Reduction Partnerships should click here.