NEWS
RELEASE

The CBI/QinetiQ Business Security Survey examined the attitudes of 100 CBI member companies across a broad range of security issues.

The in-depth telephone research carried out by MORI confirmed that security is top of the agenda for corporate Britain with 97 per cent describing it as a matter of great or some concern.

The types of security incident causing most worry are terrorist action, environmental terrorism and computer hacking. Some of the larger companies also highlight the damage done and threat posed by animal rights extremists.

Nearly two-thirds of companies had a strategic overhaul of their security arrangements this year, with 80 per cent involved in detailed security discussions at Board level. Two in three companies now have a Chief Security Officer, with one in five actually on the Board.

Companies aren't just talking about security, they are investing substantial sums of money, typically over £1 million has been spent this year alone, significantly more than five years ago and this is expected to continue to rise.

Yet despite all this high level attention, confidence building business plans and financial outlay, companies admit to feeling vulnerable. Sixty per cent said that they had residual concerns about their organisation's state of preparedness, that concern rises to 70 per cent in smaller businesses.

Commenting on the survey findings, CBI Director-General Digby Jones said:

"Business Britain understands the meaning of risk and is working hard to calibrate the additional risks posed by security. But the risk assessment process in a business would be much improved if there was greater transparency from government and other key agencies. Business needs to have more confidence that it is getting its contingency planning right".

Turning his attention to the specific findings on police resources, he added:

"It is understandable that 4 out of 5 companies want to see an increased, dedicated police resource. Companies are determined to protect their staff and ensure that every angle is fully covered but policing has clearly been inadequate in certain areas.

"Animal rights extremism and the threat it poses to ordinary people going about their daily lives is the most obvious example. In a democratic society, companies and everyone that works for them must be protected from those who seek to prevent lawful business activity".

The survey comes on the eve of the CBI Annual Conference in Birmingham, where MI5 Director-General Eliza Manningham-Buller will begin a business security session.

It makes clear that company concerns take many forms:

• Business continuity and the fact that plans put in place had not been tested (23 per cent)
• Need for constant vigilance and doubts as to their ability to detect and respond to threats (23 per cent)
• That existing plans were not quite adequate (20 per cent)
• Vulnerability to IT attacks (15 per cent)
• Threat to transport infrastructure/traveller security (7 per cent).
• Safety of employees (7 per cent)