Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service Plan 2012 to 2015

Annual report 2010 to 2011

Number of primary and secondary fires started deliberately

The graph shows the number of deliberate fires split between primary fires (usually involving buildings and vehicles) and secondary fires (usually involving rubbish, grass and derelict buildings and vehicles). Since our 2008 baseline, there has been a reduction of 50% in the number of deliberate fires.

Many of the fires we are called to are started deliberately. Arson is a serious crime, and we have been working hard with the police to reduce it.

Our Arson Task Force is a partnership we formed with Hampshire Constabulary in 2007 to investigate fire and arson incidents. The team has had huge success since being formed.

In 2010 to 2011 the team was involved in 235 fire and arson investigations. Of these, 51% have led to arrests and 57% of those arrested were successfully convicted. (Please note that at the time of publishing, 39% of cases were still awaiting trial.)

Our firefighters carry out ‘environmental visual audits’. This involves looking for discarded items, such as vehicles or mattresses, that could be set alight deliberately, and arranging for these to be removed.

We have no doubt that these environmental visual audits play an important part in reducing the number of fires started deliberately.

Number of Incidents for every 10,000 of the Population Graph

Key to graph

Blue line = National average secondary fires
Red line = Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service secondary fires
Pale blue line = National average primary fires
Black line = Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service primary fires