Criminal activity costs the business community almost €1.5 billion a year, with burglary and theft among the most common problems.

A survey of more than 1,800 businesses conducted by the Irish Small Medium Enterprises association found that a third of respondents had been the target of crime over the last 12 months. Crimes against retailers was found to be a particular problem.

Only 7 per cent of business owners expressed confidence that criminals would be apprehended, while 86 per cent felt that the judicial system was ineffective in deterring repeat criminal activity.