Welcoming guests from as far afield as the North East and Cambridgeshire, David Blunkett said: "Crime destroys businesses, from traditional industries to modern companies using advanced IT systems and businesses across the board have generally had a blinkered attitude to organised crime. Now they face the next major challenge - high tech crime and the sheer enormity of what can be done with the transfer of information.

"Thanks to Yorkshire Forward and Objective 1 you are now adopting best practices against business crime and I hope in time they will be shared with others across the country."

Help in tackling business crime is one of the enhanced new benefits making up the Sheffield Chamber's bigger and better membership package and sees the organisation working with PUAC and the BCRC with a mission to assist members in actively reducing business crime.

Chamber head of business development, Paul Reeves said: "We hope this bespoke service combined with the work of the BCRC will deliver support to help combat the high levels of crime experienced by all commercial sectors and tackle the major threats facing our member businesses such as theft and fraud."

Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes added: "Without security there is no regeneration and South Yorkshire Police are very much part of this. We are delivering on crime reduction - current figures are seven per cent down on the same period last year and we have a unique citizenship training scheme at Magna.

"Today's initiative is the start of a new process we hope will roll out across the UK and help the business engine that drives the Great Britain."

Yorkshire Forward business solutions manager Robert Ling stressed the importance of getting more businesses to adopt secure IT systems that were vital to the continued improvement of the economy: "The BCRC is now available with a range of expert and impartial advice to help achieve that."

Supported by funding from Yorkshire Forward, the European Community and Objective 1, the scheme has a £1.8m budget for the next three years. However, David Ransom, chief executive of the charity and the Centre says that further support "in kind" will more than double that amount.

"We will be working with organisations including South Yorkshire Police, Business Link, ICT Yorkshire, the Federation of Small Businesses and local Chambers of Commerce," says Ransom, adding that the DTI and Sheffield Hallam University will also be involved on self-diagnostic projects, helping businesses to help themselves.

"We're targeting SMEs with up to 250 staff, turnover under E50m. And thanks to Yorkshire Forward and Objective 1, generous grant aid will be available for suitably qualified firms."

A major initiative for BCRC is to increase the use of e-business practices amongst SMEs. The project has established a specialist business support service, dedicated to increasing the uptake of ICT solutions by providing guidance and reassurance to reduce the negative economic impact of e-crime and other associated criminal acts.

Says Ransom: "Any drive to encourage more businesses to adopt e-business practices to improve quality, increase competitiveness, customer satisfaction and reduce costs can only be successful if companies have confidence in trading on-line in a secure and risk-free manner.

Ransom adds: "South Yorkshire is an ideal setting for this unique initiative as Yorkshire Forward research indicates 30 per cent of our area's small businesses have no computer. While some of these can be regarded as "micro-businesses," many relatively substantial enterprises are ignoring the potential that could accrue from smart use of IT. Business Link will be providing suitably qualified companies with further ICT support.

"What we then have to do is step up security levels for businesses feeling their way with IT use. For example, a laptop computer costing £500 may hold £50,000 or more of commercial intelligence, if not the firm's entire database."