Community Safety

Arson

Important advice

Remember smoke alarms save lives. Make an emergency escape plan, get out and stay out.

What is arson?

Arson is the crime of intentionally starting a fire in order to damage or destroy something, especially a building.

It can result in property damage, destroyed land or personal possessions, large financial losses, injury and even loss of life.

It is a dangerous, complex and serious crime, which is punishable by law, under the 'Crime and Disorder Act 1998'.

Arson has become the fastest growing crime and is now the single main cause of fires in the U.K.

The highest rates of arson are between the hours of 6pm and midnight and the peak months are June to September.

Arson facts

Over a 10 year period (1991-2001) there has been a severe increase of deliberate fires in the U.K. Recorded incidents have risen in this time by a staggering 78%.

In 1 week throughout the U.K. there are on average:

2,100 deliberately set fires
Which in turn, leads to 55 injures and 2 deaths

The financial implication is that these fires cost society at least £40 million each week.

The cost of arson

The cost implications for this scale of antisocial behaviour are huge.

The average cost of a fire in a domestic building is £21,500
The average cost (not including environmental or clean up costs) of a vehicle fire is £5,100
A fire on open land costs on average £1,100

(Source: Home Office Research Study 229, The Economic Costs of Fire by Mark Weiner October 2001).

These figures show the financial cost of an arson attack and don't begin to take into consideration the social implications.

Social implications

Arson has a detrimental impact on the community as a whole with the possibility of long term affects that can be extremely damaging.

The regular sight of burned out cars or piles of rubbish in an area is not only an eyesore but also creates a threatening and hostile environment, possibly resulting in:

Discouraging new businesses from setting up in the area or new residents settling there
This could then contribute to higher unemployment and lower property prices
Local residents possibly becoming apathetic about their local environment
Turning the area/s affected into a breeding ground for other forms of antisocial behaviour and increasing the fear of crime

Arson may not be responsible for all of the social implications listed above but regular deliberate fire setting is a major contributory factor for the downward spiral of a community and in turn the borough, (known as the broken window effect).

Who commits arson and why?

A wide range of individuals for a number of different reasons commits arson, this makes it difficult to gauge when and where it will happen. Arson does not discriminate and can happen to anybody, anywhere, anytime.

Summary

Arsonists often do not consider the consequences of starting a deliberate fire. They don't take into account the fact that fire spreads from one source of fuel to another rapidly and unpredictably.

By working together and following a few simple measures we can reduce arson. This in turn may help curb other forms of antisocial behaviour.

Make your property safe from the threat of arson.

Crime Stoppers

The Crime Stoppers scheme allows you to give information anonymously about crimes that affect you and your local community. You can contact them directly online or on 0800 555 111.

Category of Arson|

Simple measures to help prevent arson and the threat of arson|