Firms demand 'respect'

As Tony Blair unveils his "respect agenda" aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour, small firms have called on the prime minister to include in his plans actions to eradicate the criminal activity targeted at businesses.

First trumpeted during last year's general election, Blair unveiled the proposals during a briefing in Downing Street this morning.

Aimed at dealing with nuisance behaviour, the plans give local residents greater say in the way offenders are dealt with and new powers for police authorities to evict anti-social residents from their homes.

Building on existing measures such as Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, the prime minister also outlined proposals to increase fines on offenders, new courses to help parents deal with "out of control" children and the imposition of orders on parents who refuse to comply. In addition, extra investment will be made in after-school activities to prevent youngsters from turning to crime.

"We need a radical new approach if we are to restore the liberty of the law-abiding citizen. My view is very clear: their freedom to be safe from fear has to come first," Blair said.

The organisation claimed its members feel the government does not take business crime as seriously as that faced by households despite criminal incidents being more numerous among firms.

"For a small business, just one crime can mean the difference between staying in business and going bust. If a small shop is vandalised and cannot open until repairs are made, customers can go elsewhere and not come back," said FSB home affairs spokesman David Croucher

"We welcome any moves that may address this threat to small firms. However, many of our members will hope that prevention is backed up with punishment, to ensure that those that threaten people's livelihoods through mindless vandalism and petty theft are given sufficiently tough sentences to deter them and others from perpetuating this cycle of crime."