The Home Office has launched a consultation on business crime.

It aims to seek "the views of business and other organisations on the best means of creating and maintaining effective partnerships to reduce the opportunities for crime against business and to enhance the contribution that business can make to crime reduction in England and Wales".

Forum Response: British Retail Consortium

Bill Moyes, director general of the British Retail Consortium said: "Retailers welcome the government's recognition of business crime as an issue which must be addressed . Business crime is an eclectic term and must include the broad range of crimes against retailers from till snatches to credit card fraud. We look forward to working with the Government to develop a strategy to tackle this problem.

"For too long retailers have been policing the high street single handed and the BRC has been pressing the government for support to address the increase in retail crime which costs the sector £2.4 billion a year and costs customers £100 per household."

Forum Response: Institute of Directors

A spokesman for the IoD told ePolitix.com: "The Institute of Directors wholeheartedly supports the government's efforts to tackle business-related crime. Small businesses in particular are often very vulnerable to crime and look for greater support from law enforcement agencies. Equally, we believe business has a very positive role to play in society in general and welcomes the opportunities of helping tackle the causes of crime as well as crime itself."