Last Friday we achieved a true first for our region with the formal launch of the West Midlands Regional Business Crime Forum - the first of its kind in the country.

Formed earlier this year, it has brought the business community and their organisations together.

I first mentioned the serious problem of crime against business last June.

Since then, the focus has been on its impact on our region and to put in place the means to tackle it.

It is estimated that business crime costs our region some £123 million each year.

However, the cost in jobs, business survival and our prosperity is even higher.

Crime against business is not victimless; it has the biggest effect on small businesses, their owners, their staff, and especially their employees and their customers.

Part of the problem is that it needs to be reported and, when it is, the measures for recording it properly need to be set up.

Too often businesses see no point in reporting crime because they feel the police response will be minimal, the courts too soft in sentencing, or that it is only necessary for insurance claims.

This has led to an underreporting of the crimes, which leads to low figures. As a result, the issue is not taken seriously.

Clear objectives were needed and these have now been set. Firstly, we have to make sure that the business community talks to regional bodies on the issue.

Secondly, the region must ensure that crime against business becomes a key performance indicator. This will mean that police forces are obliged to tackle it as well as ensuring that regional bodies have it as a key priority.

Given the adverse effect crime against business has on jobs and the region's prosperity, it is surprising that this has not already happened, and it must be mirrored many times over across the UK.

Thirdly, we must ensure a national definition of business crime is adopted.

Following on from the three pilot schemes our preferred definition is "any crime which takes place against a business or on a business premises". This means that everyone can deal with the same issues in the same way.

The Government has finally recognised this is an issue which falls across many of its departments.

At the forum we have recognised this is just the beginning. Now we must all seriously deliver. Businesses must commit to working with local partnerships and regional organisations to help rid our communities of all crime against business.

Together we can achieve this.

* Mike Cherry is West Midlands Policy Unit Chairman for the federation of Small Businesses