Arson

What is it and is their a community safety link?

Arson (fire-raising or fire-setting) is defined as "the malicious burning of the dwelling of another" in English common law - for purposes of common law arson "malicious' means action creating a great risk of a burning.

In terms of community safety, there is the obvious danger caused by fire setting and there is a close link between arson and types of anti social behaviour associated with vandalism. There is also a close link between areas prone to arson and crime and drugs misuse hotspots.

Considerable work in reducing the incidence of deliberate fire setting has been undertaken by Fire Services in the UK. This has often been done in conjunction with local authorities and local Community Safety Partnerships. From the statistics printed below it will be seen that arson has rapidly decreased from its high point of 2001-02.

The sharp decline in the major type of arson (arson to road vehicles) can be partly attributed to the increasing scrap value of motor vehicles (making it less likely that they will be abandoned and therefore subject to arson). However, the campaigns of Fire Services and local authorities to remove abandoned vehicles from the streets has undoubtedly made a significant contribution to this reduction.

Fire and Rescue Service Statistics - Published November 2010

The number of deliberate primary fires fell for the seventh consecutive year, from
62,500 in 2007 to 53,000 (15%) in 2008.
There was a decline in deliberate fires in most locations:

• Deliberate fires in dwellings fell by 11 per cent to 8,300
• Deliberate fires in other buildings fell by 16 per cent to 10,000
• Deliberate fires in road vehicles also fell by 15 per cent to 29,400.
  

Of the 18,400 deliberate fires in buildings recorded in 2008, more than half
(55%) occurred in buildings other than dwellings. Of these 10,000 deliberate fires
in other buildings, over a third occurred in private garages or sheds.

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   Arson Links

Arson Prevention Bureau

The Arson Prevention Bureau website provides advice and information to help tackle the problem of arson nationally. On this site you will find statistics on arson trends, measures you can take to protect yourself, information about arson and arson prevention, and more detailed research reports.

Reducing Arson

London Fire Brigade web page

Detecting & Convicting the Arsonist: Lessons from the United States   

This paper discusses the poor record in the United Kingdom for investigating and prosecuting arson offences. It compares the UK record with that of the United States where there is a higher rate of detection.