Introduction
The Arson & Incident Reduction Team is an initiative to tackle Arson and is supported by East Sussex and Brighton & Hove Crime and Disorder Partnership Forum and the Arson Control Forum.
The team members are :-
- Fire Investigation Dog Handler Temporary Station Manager Sarah Jones
- Sam (an accelerant seeking spaniel)
- Information and Administration Co-ordinator Ginny Bishop
Education - Prevention - Investigation / Detection.
Education.
- Arson & Incident Reduction information is included in the Fire Safety Education Team's talks to schools (primary and secondary).
- The Team attends community and multi-agency public events. An example is the Eastbourne 999 weekend on the Western Lawns (11th and 12th July 2009).
- Education of children who have, or might, offend is managed through the Firesetter Intervention Scheme and through the Local Intervention for Fire Education (LIFE) Scheme.
- Improving East Sussex and Brighton & Hove intervention schemes with 'at risk' youths, through closer working with partners, to ensure they lead more positive lives.
- Education of adults who have been involved in firesetting/arson incidents is managed through the Firesetter Intervention Scheme
Prevention.
- The Arson & Incident Reduction Team are linked in with the 6 Community Safety District Partnerships developed under the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act.
- There is a focus on arson arising from the nuisance of fires involving rubbish and waste materials, abandoned vehicles and empty insecure buildings.
- The Arson & Incident Reduction Team identifies types of arson through research and improved data sharing protocols.
- Problem profiles and operations will be formulated to reduce incidents, including high visibility campaigns.
- The team identifies and reports the most effective way in which police and fire resources can be focused to reduce arson.
- The team support high visibility patrols in areas of increased risk.
- Crimestoppers Arson Alert boards are deployed at significant arson incidents, requesting information.
- Schools in East Sussex are offered a free joint arson audit inspection where a Crime Prevention Officer and Fire Officer attend together, a report is then produced giving advice on arson prevention. Self-assessment forms are available here for schools to use to carry out their own audit (Arson Risk Audit Form1 [pdf] / Arson Risk Audit Form 2 [pdf] / Arson Risk Audit Form 3 [pdf]).
Investigation / Detection.
- The Fire Investigation Dog Team attends fires where arson is suspected and is a key part of the Arson & Incident Reduction Team. Further information is available on the Fire Investigation Dog Team Page.
- At significant or repeated arson incidents, joint investigation is made by Fire Investigation Officers and Police Investigators and Scenes of Crime Teams, and when required Forensic Scientists.
- The ART supports all fire death incidents, fires where serious injuries have occurred and major property fires where five or more pumping appliances are attending.
- The Police and existing Fire Investigation Officers are able to seek advice and assistance at scenes, from the Arson & Incident Reduction Team, where an automatic response would not normally be made.
- Improvement of awareness and skills in fire investigation is being made through closer partnership working with the Sussex Police Scenes of Crime Department and the Forensic Science Service.
Help us to help you and your Community.
If you have any information about arson (deliberate fires) or any other crime please call Crimestoppers free and anonymously on 0800 555 111 or click on the logo to visit their web site.
Initiatives.
Think......Abandoned Vehicles.
Operation Crackdown is an abandoned vehicle removal operation for Sussex, sponsored by East and West Sussex Fire and Rescue Services, Sussex Police, DVLA and all Local Authorities. It uses Police powers to get abandoned vehicles removed quickly, which reduces the likelihood of arson and criminal damage as well as making communities safer.
Please click on the link to report an abandoned car:- Sussex Police - Operation Crackdown
Operation Scrap It - Brighton & Hove abandoned and untaxed vehicle enforcement operation.
The team continues to participate in this operation to identify untaxed and abandoned vehicles in conjunction with the Local Authority, Police, DVLA and Trading Standards. This continued operation is significantly reducing opportunity for arson and other vehicle crime as well as visibly improving the communities within Brighton & Hove.
Leaflets.
Arson Prevention: Farms & the Countryside leaflet
Each year in the UK on average around 1,600 farm buildings and 85,000 areas of grassland are destroyed by fire.
Around 40% of these fires are started deliberately, many as an act of mindless vandalism.
This leaflet includes a check list of precautions which can substantially reduce the risk of an attack.
Arson Alert Leaflet.
Details of the Crimestoppers service which you can call, anonymously, with information about someone deliberately starting fires. Click here [pdf - 808 KB] to view this leaflet.
The following leaflets provide a valuable guide to the detection, prevention and risk management of how to reduce the possibility of arson. They are produced by the Arson Prevention Bureau and available on the Publications section of their web site at (www.arsonpreventionbureau.org.uk/Publications).
How to Combat Arson in Schools Leaflet.
This guide is addressed primarily at school governors, head teachers, school premises managers, LEAs and local authority risk managers. It aims to alert those responsible for school premises to the continuing dangers of arson attacks on schools, and suggests means by which such a potential can be reduced. This leaflet covers prevention, detection and protection. Click here [pdf] to view this leaflet on the Arson & Incident Reduction Bureau web site.
Juvenile Fire Setting: How to Reduce the Risk.
The term fire setting is well used by those in the fire industry but perhaps not so well know to most of us. Widely used in the United States and adopted generally as the accepted term meaning: "people who start deliberate fires". This leaflets covers the types of fire setters, reducing the risk and where to go for help. Click here [pdf] to view this leaflet on the Arson & Incident Reduction Bureau web site.
Car Fires: The Growing Problem and how to Help Extinguish it.
Every year in the UK around 102,000 road vehicles (or about 280 every single day) go up in flames and over 58 people die as a result. This leaflet includes a check list of precautions to take to protect your car. Click here [pdf] to view this leaflet on the Arson & Incident Reduction Bureau web site.
Arson Alert for Shops and Stores.
The biggest fire risk in shops and stores is from fires begun deliberately. Arson is an ever-present threat but one which you as a shop owner or store manager can do much to control. This leaflet includes 23 ways to stop your business becoming an arson statistic. Click here [pdf] to view this leaflet on the Arson & Incident Reduction Bureau web site.
Arson: The Major Fire Threat to Places of Worship.
Most of the fires in churches are begun deliberately. This leaflets covers risk assessment, security and good housekeeping. Click here [pdf] to view this leaflet on the Arson & Incident Reduction Bureau web site.
Strategy.
Reducing Anti-Social Deliberate Fires Strategy 2007-10 [pdf 916 KB].
This strategy was launched in October & November 2007 at three free seminars in the Hastings & Rother, Brighton & Hove City and Eastbourne, Lewes and Wealden areas by promoting the aims of the strategy and partnership working with those who have been affected by arson attacks.
For further information contact Ginny Bishop at the Arson & Incident Reduction Team ESFRS HQ 01323 462814 email virginia.bishop@esfrs.org
Contact.
If you require further advice or information from the Arson & Incident Reduction Team please contact us by email:- art@esfrs.org
Or write to the team at :-
East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service,
Arson & Incident Reduction Team, HQ,
20 Upperton Road, Eastbourne,
East Sussex, BN21 1EU.
01323 462144
Links.
There are a number of Arson and Crime Prevention links available in the Links section of our web site (see the Navigation bar at the bottom of this page). In addition following web sites provide a good source of additional information :-
- Arson Control Forum (ODPM) (www.arsoncontrolforum.gov.uk).
- Arson Prevention Bureau (www.arsonpreventionbureau.org.uk).
- Ashdown Forest (www.ashdownforest.co.uk).
- Sussex Police Crime Prevention Web site (www.sussex.police.uk/community_safety/index.asp).
- Sussex Police Operation Crackdown (www.sussex.police.uk/operations/crackdown.asp).
- Youth Offending Teams (www.yjb.gov.uk/en-gb/yjs/YouthOffendingTeams/SouthEast.htm).
- To report Fly Tipping within East Sussex (frs.accesseastsussex.org/faultreport/faultIntro.aspx)