The Chartered Institute of Building's (CIOB) research into crime in the construction industry has shown that an overwhelming majority have experienced theft, vandalism and health and safety neglect.

92% of respondents had experienced theft in their business, 91% vandalism and 90% health and safety neglect. These crimes contributed to respondents suffering severe financial losses in their business; 38% stated it cost their business at least £10,000 a year and 9% reported losses of over £100,000 a year.

The research examined the scale and impact of crime on the construction industry and highlights the key areas of concern for senior level construction workers.

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31% of respondents stated there has been an increase in crime in the industry in the last twelve months and only 8% felt it had decreased. The majority of respondents linked this increase to the recession and stated that more people are turning to illegitimate ways to make money to survive the downturn.

Michael Brown, CIOB Deputy Chief Executive said: "The results suggest a real need for site and project managers to be trained on how to prevent crime on construction sites and what measures should be taken if it does occur.

"The research highlights that a lot of crime doesn’t get reported, we would advocate higher levels of reporting, and an increase in collaboration between law enforcement agencies and the industry."

The survey showed that the most effective crime deterrents are secure storage, enhanced lighting linked to CCTV and registering plant and equipment.

The sample consisted of 1100 construction industry professionals, the majority (65%) of whom described themselves as management.

(CD/KMcA)