HOME Office Minister Tom Sackville has called on the business community to help fight computer Crime.

Mr Sackville, the MP for Bolton West, was speaking in Manchester at a national conference on the subject organised by Greater Manchester Police in partnership with the Henry Fielding Centre for Police Studies and Crime Risk Management.

The Home Office Police Research Group is carrying out detailed research into computer crime to establish best practice for investigating computer crime and introducing anti theft devices.

Mr Sackville said recent police operations had resulted in substantial quantities of equipment being recovered and criminals arrested.

But he went on: "I believe the ease with which computers and IT components are being stolen is putting hundreds of millions of pounds in criminals' pockets and helping to finance the importation of drugs and other activities."

He declared: "Computer chips are a new criminal currency - portable, extremely valuable and easy to dispose of."

Mr Sackville called for a survey by the business community - similar to the annual one carried out on shop thefts by the British Retail Consortium - to help plan a strategy for the future.

He stressed the importance of planning ahead and "designing in" anti-theft devices at the manufacturing stage.

"Too often there is a scramble to attach anti-theft devices to equipment after manufacture, when a crime problem comes to light," he said.

"It is important to ensure that computer equipment is as secure as we can make it by the time it gets to the user."

Mr Sackville reminded the conference of the importance of simple crime prevention measures such as property marking and security alarms.

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