UK business leaders have warned that crime is becoming an increasingly “serious barrier” to growing Britain’s economy amid a rise in shoplifting, fraud and cyber-attacks against companies.

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), which represents tens of thousands of businesses across the country, called on the government to provide “a step change in the support businesses can count on” as it said two-fifths of companies had experienced some form of crime in the past year.

Warning that decisive action was required, it said a fifth of companies in a survey of 1,411 firms had faced fraud or scams. As many as 21% said they had experienced cyber-attacks.

Ellis Shelton, a policy manager at the BCC, said tackling crime would help remove “structural barriers to growth”.

He said: “Crime against business is now a serious barrier to growth and investment across the UK.

“Our research shows many firms are dealing with rising levels of theft, fraud and cyber-attacks. Bosses are being forced to divert crucial time and money to tackling this anchor on growth.

“Crime is becoming more sophisticated and there needs to be a step change in the support businesses can count on.”

The organisation said the government should create a cyber-attack reporting system for companies; establish regional business crime hubs that would bring together police and business crime reduction partnerships; and expand cyber and fraud resilience support for small and medium-sized businesses. It also called for more incentives for companies to invest in security.

There were a string of high-profile cyber-attacks against businesses in the UK last year, including Marks & Spencer, the Co-op, Jaguar Land Rover and Booking.com.

It has been estimated that the hack of JLR alone cost the UK economy £1.9bn, potentially making it the most costly cyber-attack in British history.

M&S said it took a £324m hit to profits after being forced to close its website to orders for more than six weeks after a damaging hack.

At the other end of the scale, tradespeople have warned of a rise in tool thefts, which can hit their ability to do business.

Retail businesses have also complained of rising thefts. Police-recorded shoplifting rose 20% year on year to reach 516,971 offences in the year to December 2024. By March 2025, the annual total exceeded 530,000.

A further BCC survey carried out last autumn found that larger companies are more vulnerable to crime, increasing from 32% among microbusinesses to 58% among firms employing more than 250 people. The manufacturing sector said it was the hardest hit, with 50% of companies reporting business crime.