TWO anti-terrorism and fraud experts have been appointed as part of a security team that can help businesses stop losing an average of £30,000 a year because of the theft of private information.

Small and medium-sized businesses are losing tens of thousands of pounds a year because of industrial espionage, according to recent figures from the Confederation of British Industry.

Inadequate security measures are being blamed for the theft and fraud of company's private information and intellectual property, such as customer details, research and development.

Stockton-based Wolviston Security Management (WSM) has set up a security division led by two experts in fraud, anti-terrorism measures and industrial espionage to help North-East businesses improve their security.

Stephen Bakewell and Martin Eggermont, who between them have 60 years of policing experience, are operational directors of a covert division, which has been created to identify and protect vulnerable areas of a business.

This includes protecting private information and research data from the threat of fraud and theft, said Mr Bakewell, 54, a former senior police officer.

He said: "Our division works with companies nationwide, including major industrial companies in the Tees Valley, to review and improve their security systems."

Mr Eggermont, who for many years was a member of the Regional and National Crime Squads, said: "The Confederation of British Industry estimates that every small to medium-size business in the UK is losing, on average, £30,000 a year in intellectual property."

WMS, the core business of Wolviston Group, provides specialist personnel worldwide in the oil, gas, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, nuclear and utilities industries. More than 1,200 people are employed via Wolviston, with more than half of them from the Tees Valley.