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Arson

Between 1st April 2004 and 31st March 2006 there were 7 611 vehicle fires caused by arson in Greater ManchesterBetween 1st April 2004 and 31st March 2006, there were 7,611 vehicle fires caused by arson in Greater Manchester

Arson is the largest single cause of major fires in Greater Manchester and the UK and it costs every person in the county around £18 a year!

Three out of four fires attended by the Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service are caused by arson and it’s costing Manchester around £37 million a year. Not only does Arson cost millions of pounds each year, it also ties up fire service resources, putting lives at risk. Anyone caught will face prosecution and a criminal record.

Assistant County Fire Officer, Steve Beckley, said: “Arson is the largest single cause of major fires in Greater Manchester.  Many of them start as small fires lit as a game or bit of fun, but there is nothing amusing about it.  The main culprits are young males aged between 11 and 18 years but sometimes as young as 7 years old!  We want to teach them that deliberately starting fires has serious consequences."

 “We are making a serious effort to tackle the problem – through partnership working and campaigns - and have recently restructured and strengthened our fire investigation team in a bid to catch those responsible.  We have also introduced ‘Cracker’ a dog that is trained to assist with arson investigations.”

Reducing the Risk of Arson Attack on your home (PDF: 4 MB)

Arson campaign posterArson campaign poster

Our campaign 'Arson - is not a game'
To complement current ‘Arson Reduction’ activities, Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service launched a campaign in March 2007 to drive home the message to young people that arson is not a game.

Using both radio and posters the campaign was aimed directly at offenders, who cause the anti-social effects of arson, including burnt out cars, rubbish skips, derelict buildings and homes within the community.

Do you know anyone involved in arson?
Help Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service stop arson in your neighbourhood. If you know of anyone responsible for an act of arson call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111