Businesses will be able to make Impact Statements when they are victims of crime, as part of new measures announced by the government in the revised Victims Code.

The Association of Convenience Stores has welcomed changes to the Code to give a stronger voice to retailers affected by crime.

In the Government’s consultation earlier this year, ‘Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses’, ACS set out clear recommendations that the Victims Code should take into account the impact on businesses.

The new code includes a dedicated section recognising businesses as victims of crime, provisions for the inclusion of all businesses within the code’s remit (which previously only included small businesses) and the creation of ‘business impact statements’ to allow retailers to report the wider implications of crime on their stores.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “Retail crime is not victimless: there is always a human and monetary cost. Allowing individuals and businesses to reflect the impact of crime will help give retailers the confidence that sentences will fit the crime.

“This new Victims Code signals a breakthrough for businesses that will now be taken seriously by the criminal justice system when they are victims of crime. ACS played an instrumental role in ensuring that provisions for businesses are included in the Code, and we are pleased that Government has listened to our views on this issue.”