A new report claims that Derbyshire is the safest area for business security in the UK - and is bucking a rising national trend.
The study, carried out by independent tech retailer Ebuyer, found that business theft in Derbyshire has fallen by 48% in the county since 2015.
This is in contrast to the national picture, which on average saw a nine per cent rise.
Ebuyer based its research on responses from police forces across the country, following a series of Freedom of Information requests.
Out of the 23 police constabularies who responded to the data request, 19 said they had experienced increases in business-related thefts between 2015 and 2018.
Cleveland Police reported the biggest rise, saying business theft had shot up by 3,292%, with 1,323 reported thefts last year compared to just 39 in 2015. They were followed by forces in Dorset (1,757%), Durham (1,640%), Dyfed-Powys (704%) and Surrey (659%).
However, Derbyshire Constabulary, along with Bedfordshire, reported that incidents of business theft had actually fallen.
According to Ebuyer, the value of goods stolen from businesses has increased by more than £2 million since 2015.
Lee Weymouth, commercial director at Ebuyer, said: “The significant increase in the number of business thefts indicates that the risk to business security is higher and more unpredictable than ever.
“As concerning as this is for businesses, there are now a number of ways that firms can protect themselves, including CCTV and thermal sensors.”
