The City of London Police have released a new video entitled ‘Consequences Begin at Home’ to help businesses understand the implications of the Bribery Act and how it affects them.
The introduction of the Bribery Act 2010 imposed additional challenges on business. As well as new offences and sentence limits. One such change was an offence of, “Failure of commercial organisations to prevent bribery” which imposes penalties on the organisation.
Additionally the maximum sentence was raised from 7 to 10 years imprisonment including the introduction of unlimited fines. Importantly, ignorance of the Act would not be a defence for any commercial organisation or individual, but organisations that can sufficiently demonstrate they have adequate procedures in place to prevent bribery are able to rely on a legislated defence.
What should businesses do?
It’s important that you are fully aware of the Act and the impact any breach could have on your organisation and individual culpability. Nobody knows your business or understands what the potential risks are to your organisation better than you. So make sure that you seek advice so you can implement the appropriate risk based governance for your company.
The City of London Police commissioned a short crime prevention video entitled “Consequences begin at home” It has been designed to be used by companies as part of ongoing internal training for their staff. It doesn’t talk about the law, but instead demonstrates the impact that a corruption investigation could have on companies and individuals who ignore the Act and break the law.
For further information please visit the The City of London Police website.
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