Arson up by 50 percent
Over half of all fires that cause injury and damage to property in the UK are started deliberately, according to new research by Liberal Democrat MP Matthew Taylor.
The number of these ‘primary’ fires that are caused by arsonists should be a wake-up call to the Government, Mr. Taylor claimed today.
Since Labour came to power the number of malicious fires has risen to just over 123,000 a year – a jump of 49%.
That has resulted in the deaths of 500 people over that period and 16,000 injuries.
And Mr. Taylor, his party’s spokesperson on treasury matters, also pointed out that the damage to property and the economy because of arson is estimated to cost £2.2bn every year.
‘The Government response has been to set up the Arson Control Forum with a budget of £4m to tackle a problem that costs the economy £2,200m a year,” he said.
“The personal cost – in lost lives, serious injury and emotional damage to families and communities – is immeasurable,” Mr. Taylor added.
An average of 40 homes per day are deliberately set on fire, causing thousands of pounds of damage, and risking the lives of residents and firefighters.
Schools are also a major target, with more than a 1,000 cases of arson being reported in the last five years. The perpetrators are often pupils or ex-pupils.
More generally, under-18s account for nearly half of all arson proceedings, with 89% receiving a caution. That has led Mr. Taylor to claim that young people are “not getting enough of a warning” and that more serious punishments such as community service should be used.
He has also called for the fire service, police, local authorities and schools to introduce joint schemes to help educate young people about the risks of starting fires.
The research does not bode well for the targets set by the Arson Control Forum, which was set up in 2001.
Among its goals is to halt the upward trend of arson by the end of March next year, and to reduce it by 30% within the next six years.
