Arson task force take another step forward to combat arson!
Residents across Warwickshire are being encouraged to report arson attacks in their area by using a new arson alert system, which will be displayed using boards after an incident has taken place.
Taking a lead from the Police witness boards, Warwickshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service will now be displaying Arson Alert Boards at the scene of an incident for residents to contact Crime Stoppers anonymously and give any details they may have.
Arson Reduction Manager, Ian Tonner said:
“Following some searches across the Country for best practise in Arson Reduction, I found that London had developed and trialled an “ARSON BOARD”. Looking at this initiative and knowing the success that the Police have had with their own witness boards, I developed our own “ARSON ALERT” board. The idea is simple but gives those in the Community an opportunity to work with us to combat arson and we hope that in turn this will drive down the amount of nuisance small fires we are attending."
David Whitehouse, Head of Community Safety at Warwickshire Police said:
"This is an excellent example of how the police and fire service can support each other in tackling arson. Arson is a serious offence and can lead to fatalities and a potential life prison sentence with innocent people being killed. The value of Crimestoppers in detecting and preventing crime is well proven.
The boards will be sited in areas where a number of fires have occurred; this will not only alert the community to the problem, but it will also send a message to those setting the fires that we will not tolerate their actions.
Warwickshire Fire & Rescue Service attended 1374 small fires in 2006 - 07 of which over 80% were deliberate. This initiative combats the problem at local level giving the Community an opportunity to reduce Anti Social Behaviour and cases of arson and criminal damage. We hope that anybody who has any information following a fire however small that if they feel was set deliberately then they should contact Crime Stopper on 0800 111 555. The call is free and anonymous. If you would like any more information about this initiative, please do not hesitate to contact the Arson Task Force on 02476 48 3205.