SMALL businesses in York and North Yorkshire are being urged to adopt a special New Year resolution - to report all crimes against them to the police in 2006.

The call is part of a campaign to persuade the authorities to give a higher priority to business crime.

It comes as the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Yorkshire and Humber Policy Unit is in talks with the regional Government Office in Leeds about the possible setting up of a regional crime board.

Although an FSB survey in 2005 revealed that 58 per cent of Yorkshire and Humberside small businesses are victims of crime each year, many in York and North Yorkshire go unreported for a range of reasons - including fears over increased insurance premiums, a lack of hard evidence to give to police, and concerns that the police will be unable to make an arrest.

In its New Year message, the FSB Yorkshire and Humber Policy Unit is calling on the Home Office to introduce a new business crime key performance indicator in 2006, so police must give it the same priority as domestic crime.

The FSB, Government Office and various police forces throughout the region have held a series of workshops during the last 18 months, discussing with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) how they can work together to tackle what is described as "an epidemic" of crime against small businesses.

The FSB Yorkshire and Humber Policy Unit chairman, Chris Glen, said: "We are not critical of the police or the Government. We understand the parameters within which they are working, but we would like to see business crime given a similar key performance indicator as domestic crime.

"As part of our campaign, small businesses in York and North Yorkshire must ensure they report all crimes against them to the police in 2006. The authorities need to appreciate what a devastating effect burglary, vandalism, fraud and violence are having on small enterprises and the wider economy.

"Our talks about the possibility of setting up a regional crime board are expected to continue in 2006, as many in the Government Office are sympathetic with our stand on business crime. Regional crime boards exist in other parts of the country with separate sub committees for addressing different elements, such as cyber theft, vandalism and so on, but we are in the early stages and must see how talks progress."

The call on business crime is among a series of measures which the government is being asked to act upon by the FSB, which represents the interests of 13,000 member businesses across the region.

Updated: 10:17 Tuesday, January 03, 2006