Shop crime could get own measure

The Conservative party is investigating whether

shoplifting, burglary and violence against staff

should be made a separate category by police, in a

bid to fight business crime.

Shadow home secretary Dominic Grieve MP said: "Tackling business crime should not be neglected by government. Businesses represent the heart of every community, and when a shop is forced to close, the whole local community suffers from the reduction in employment and choice.

"Getting more police back on the streets is central to our approach to fighting crime. We will also consider whether business crime should be recorded by the police as a separate category, because if you don't know the scale of the problem, you can't tackle it."

Grieve was speaking at a seminar

on business crime which also discussed

how to

improve the reporting of business crime, central government's response to it and ways

police, local authorities and businesses can work together .

Business crime, from shoplifting, burglary and violence against staff to e-fraud, costs the UK £12.6 billion per year, according to the British Chamber of Commerce.