Warwickshire News Mine

In 2005, the theatre programme toured ten schools across Warwickshire. This year, 21 schools are taking part.  The launch took place on Monday 30 October at the Playbox Theatre in Warwick. 

At the launch, young actors from the Playbox Theatre Company entertained guests with a short play on the effects of arson using the arson toolkit. The performance was then followed by an interactive workshop, which explored the actions and consequences of characters in the play and how they could be changed. 

Arson in schools is a serious problem that is costing local authorities across the country. Figures from Zurich Municipal show that school fires cost an estimated £67 million in 2005 - a £16 million reduction from the previous year. However, early indications show that this is not the start of a downward trend.  In March this year alone, school fires cost an estimated £22 million, compared to a monthly average of £5.5 million last year.

Steve West, Fire Investigation and Arson Reduction Manager, said: “Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, working in partnership with key organisations, have already made a significant impact on Arson Reduction.

“Our communities across Warwickshire are safer now than this time last year, but there is still much more to do. In the period 2004/05, deliberate fires across Warwickshire declined by around 28%. This can be attributed to schemes such as Car Clear, the schools programme, Area Risk Teams and the introduction of the ACT toolkit to schools.” 

Larry Stokes, Underwriting Manager at Zurich Municipal and Chair of the Arson Prevention Bureau’s Schools Working Group, commented: “It is encouraging that the cost of school fires has decreased over the last year. 
“However, arson continues to be a severe problem and costly both financially and in ways that cannot be quantified; classes are disrupted, exam work is lost and lives are put in danger. With three schools suffering from arson attacks every day, we cannot afford to be complacent and must continue to put measures in place to tackle the problem.”

Warwickshire County Council (WCC) members, Warwick District Councillors, WCC strategic directors, head teachers and dignitaries from across the county will attend the event to see how the toolkit works. 

For further information log onto http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/fireandrescue or http://www.zurich.co.uk

Link to WCC