Firms should be protected from criminal activity, says expert

Date: 1st September 2010

Business operators in the UK could be among those encouraged by recent comments from one expert regarding protection from criminal activity.

Steve Huxham, chairman of the Recruitment Society, said there need to be better protection for firms when criminal activities are carried out by employees.

"We do live in an increasingly litigious age. If businesses feel that they have been wronged, the likelihood is that they will look to see if there is some retribution or some recourse to the law available to them," he said.

"In terms of liability, yes, it is definitely a time to be more cautious, more covered, more secure and having proper procedures in place than ever before."

The comments follow the publication of new research from the Law Commission, which claimed that UK courts should be given the power to apply a due diligence defence to statutes that would otherwise impose strict criminal liability for companies and individuals.

Posted by Jacob Williams