Thousands of West Midlands businesses targeted by criminals
Business are being targeted by criminals in the West Midlands, with the number of offences going up by 2,500 in a year.
The seven per cent increase could even be worse in reality as police fear some crimes go unreported, police say.
The majority involve thefts, including shoplifting and bilking.
And the total number of all crimes reported in the West Midlands has gone up by 1,750, which is a 1.1 per cent increase.
But bosses say the force continues to have the lowest level of crime per 1,000 residents when compared to Greater Manchester, Merseyside and West Yorkshire.
The biggest increase in business crime was thefts from shops or stalls, with 1,380 extra cases last year - a nine per cent rise.
But both burglary of dwellings and robbery are at their lowest ever recorded levels. Burglary of dwellings fell by 10 per cent or 1,276 offences while robbery fell by 8.8 per cent with 474 fewer victims.
A report by the commissioner's joint chief executives Alethea Fuller and Jonathan Jardine said: "This may be understated as crimes are either not reported or go unnoticed.
"West Midlands Police has the second highest level of thefts from shops and stalls per 1,000 residents but is just below the average for the other three comparable forces.
It is an issue from larger stall and shopping centres down to small retailers."
The Express & Star revealed last month that thieves have stolen petrol from Wolverhampton filling stations more than 1,000 times in the space of three years.
Since 2012, there have been 1,108 bilking crimes in the city.
The most frequently hit stations are Sainsbury's, Morrisons, BP, Shell and Tesco Express, including those on Cannock Road and Lichfield Road.
Recent figures also revealed a total of 111 shootings where someone was injured in the West Midlands took place in just one year.
It comes after it emerged the region had the highest gun rate in the country, with a total of 540 firearms offences dealt with last year. Guns were also used 285 times to threaten someone, 38 times where property was damaged, and six times as a blunt instrument.
Some 293 incidents involved types of handgun, and there were 53 with ball bearing guns.
Sawn-off shotguns were used 21 times, along with long barrelled shotguns on 16 occasions.
Other weapons used were stun guns 36 times, CS gas in 46 incidents, and pepper spray 19 times.
