NCJ Number
165676
Date Published
1997
Length
21 pages
Annotation
The reasons for the low priority of crime prevention in large businesses in Australia and elsewhere are analyzed; the discussion concludes that promising areas for collaboration between business and criminology include reducing opportunities for crime, giving clear leadership to personnel on crime issues, and improving the workplace culture.
Abstract
Reducing losses due to crime could enhance business profits. However, business does not usually focus on reducing crime losses through management even though it takes crime seriously. This lack of action occurs because business people are generally ignorant of how crime prevention can benefit them and because it is difficult to quantify losses from crime, especially in the crucial area of employee theft. Businesses cannot make a cost-benefit analysis of crime prevention without solid data on losses. Businesses will take action against crime when it becomes demonstrably major or visible or when economics requires action. It will also occur to avoid negative customer relations, to ensure customer safety, or to improve staff morale. A criminologist would call this action crime prevention, but a business leader would simply call it good business. Notes and 37 references (Author abstract modified)