Shop shut after raids

SHUTTERS down: family-run Fonezone shut for good after it was targeted by criminals on three occasions last year

Oldham a business crime hotspot, says report
BUSINESSES in Oldham are more at risk of crime than almost anywhere else in the country.

The borough is the third-worst business crime hotspot in the UK, in relation to the number of businesses, according to figures released today.

Halifax and Telford occupy the top two spots.

Businesses have been hit by theft, arson and violent crime over the last year.

Among the businesses affected was Fonezone, which has shut after being targeted three times in two weeks.

Noreen Mirza, whose family owned the shop on Tommyfield Market, said: “We haven’t re-opened because we know we could spend a lot of money on it only to be targeted again by criminals. It’s not worth it.”

The report on business crime by insurers Axa, was based on claim data gathered in the year to May.

The value of the thefts has gone up by 6 per cent, with the average insurance claim now reaching almost £4,000.

Arson attacks have gone up by 10 per cent, and the number of thefts involving force or violence has also increased by around 6 per cent.

AXA said the rise in crime can be partly be put down to the recession, which has bred “more determined” thieves.

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