Has your construction firm been a victim of crime?

Are you taking necessary precautions to protect your property business from criminals?

New research has revealed the full extent of business crime in the UK and the added pressure it’s placing on firms in the recession.

Research has found that more than one million small businesses have been targeted by criminals in the UK during the past two years – many of them in the construction sector.

One well-established and very experienced construction firm in the North West, Ennis Construction ensures that they maintain adequate security levels on all their sites. Their spokesman Bart O’Sullivan commented. “Security is always an issue on any building site. We ensure that we have a strong security presence in place on all our properties”.

Property damage had also affected some 135,000 businesses as well as damage to equipment and tools in which 90,000 firms were targeted.

Also commenting on the research, David Hudson, Managing Director of leading Manchester commercial insurance brokers Buckland Harvester, said: “Being targeted by criminals is often a catastrophic event for small businesses in terms of the disruption it brings to their production or delays on a development site. There is also the financial cost of the actual lost property and equipment”.

“Businesses need to ensure they protect themselves for every eventuality so that they’re fully covered when the worst happens. This can be achieved by ensuring the commercial insurance they choose in the first place adequately safeguards their assets and takes account of every possible risk.

“The gloomy economy is bringing additional pressures to small businesses and many are finding it a struggle to survive but insurance is one overhead which should never be stripped back as part of an economising drive as the consequences for the business could be dire.”

If you need advice or help regarding the protection of your sites, plant hire and equipment, please contact Jolene Shaw at Buckland Harvester at www.bucklandharvester.co.uk