arson the uk’s national fire safety organisation protecting people, property, business and the...
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Arson
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
Arson, the true cost
• Total cost of fire in England est. at £8.3bn• The cost of Arson was £1.7 bn (14%) of the total cost• This is broken down further as consequence £1,178m and cost for
response £524m• The Average cost of an arson incident is £8,978• The Association of British Insurers members pay out over £1.1bn
each year in fire claims• 45% of all fires are deliberate
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
Arson Prevention Forum
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
The Arson Prevention Forum is a strategic stakeholder body formed through a merger of the Government backed Arson Control Forum and the Association of British Insurers Arson Prevention Bureau.
APF strategic objectives
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
• To identify the economic cost of arson.• To identify statistical trends and manage down the risk of arson.• To develop a national strategy to reduce deliberate fires
highlighting where specific focus of effort from respective partners will be most effective.
• To improve outcomes through the criminal justice system from identification, detection and prosecution of offenders.
• To deliver information to support communities, businesses and organisations through a refreshed website and channels of communication presented by partner organisations.
• To hold an annual conference to share good practice.• Engage effectively with communities to better inform the setting of
local priorities.• To produce an annual report and consider how and where this is
presented.
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
Arson-psychological and sociological factors
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
Scene Setting
• The forum has gained momentum over recent years and has backing from Ministers and the House of Lords
• The APF recently held a conference at the ESS to raise the impact of Arson• Lee Howell (independent Chair) utilised qualitative and quantitative data to
produce a ‘state of the nation’ report• The APF is represented by CFOA, NPCC, ABI, UK-AFI, as well as other
Key agencies
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
Ministerial reporting
• Due to the engagement with Ministers, they have requested the minutes and section updates following each APF meeting.
• Areas identified are:– Lack of information shared between agencies, such as ABI and FPA to identify
the true cost of Arson– The Home Office have invited the chairman to the Anti-social behaviour Advisory
Forum– CFOA have committed to working closer with the NPCC to reduce the impact of
Arson– DCLG and Home Office are considering how national framework for FRS and
Police may be used to drive the agenda of Arson reduction
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
Arson Statistics
• 69,000 Arson incidents per year
• 72% small outdoors• 13% vehicles• Fatalities – 80• Injuries – 1173• £1.7 Billion!
• Arson has an estimated conviction rate of 26%
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
1,600
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
1,388
1,066
1,097 1,042
858 834
Criminal Damage Act 1971 { 1(1), 1(3) and 4 } Arson Criminal Damage Act 1971 { 1(2), 1(3) and 4 } Arson with intent / reckless as to whether life was endangered
0
2012 2013 2014
Interest in fire
• Unusual combination of danger and benefit
• Fire can be terrifyingly powerful and an unpredictable force capable of immense destruction
• The decision to use of fire over other means (Drabsch, 2003):
― The relative ease of lighting a fire
― Familiarity gained with fire during childhood
― Accessibility of fire-lighting tools and materials
― Fire’s capacity to symbolise power and domination and to generate fear
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
Personality
• Disordered personality; May find it hard to:
―Keep close relationships―Get on with people at work―Get on with friends and family―Keep out of trouble―Control feelings―Listen to others
• Dialectical Approach
―Unable to see across a spectrum of emotions―Everything is either good or bad
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
Mind-set
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
• Perspective on the world - personality• Emotional regulation – anger,
contempt, fear, sadness, happiness, surprise, disgust
• Need for stimulation – sensation seeking
• Drugs and alcohol – prevalence, impact, and purpose
• Mental health• Internal conflicts, e.g., sexuality
The impact of Alcohol/Drugs
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
• Impact on emotional state and decision-making
• Understand the likely influence on the commission of the offence or altering the baseline mental state
• Resulting in a more chaotic and opportunist appearing crime scene and a heightened likelihood of offender injuries
Motive
• Research outlines Revenge and Excitement as predominant motives for arson, however…
• This is based on an understanding populations of convicted arsonists
• It focuses the emphasis on the emotional benefit gained from the act of setting the fire
• Less understanding of the manifestations of wider motives• A increased need for index offence analysis performed on unsolved
cases, especially with fatalities
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
Motive
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
VandalismExcitementPyrophiliaIntolerable emotionRevenge
Crime concealmentProfit/financial gainExtremismProtest
Prevention
Early education and prevention is critical
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
Early dysfunction
– Ego Triad
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
Enur
esis
Cruelty to Animals
Fire-setting
Child fire setters
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
Behavioural disturbance (ADHD, Hypersensitivity disorder); history of substance abuse (esp. alcohol); poor academic performance (truancy, suspension, general problems at school)Psychological disorder (conduct disorder, intellectual disability, personality disorder); suicidal ideationOnset around 5 years (12mths-14yrs) – Seven fires prior to detectionGreater numbers of antisocial acts than non fire-settersSocial services intervention (family dysfunction, prior delinquency); possible experience in care systemMotive: Expression of intense emotions – anger, attention-seeking, cry for help, boredomTarget: own home / residence, in company of others
(Fritzon & Doley 2008)
Progression to Pathological
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
• Early modelling (exposure at young age to fire and fire tools)• Fascination and preoccupation with fire (incl. related activities –
bomb making)• History of repeated fire-setting• Fire-setting associated with intense feelings (anger / hatred
directed to victim)• Dysfunctional family (marital disharmony, parent-child disharmony)• Abuse (sexual, physical)• Absent Father (if present, marital discord)• Increased isolation from family and peers – teenage years• Gradual withdrawal from societal norms (petty theft, truancy,
disobeying parents and teachers)
Intervention
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
NICE guidelines in relation to ‘Selective Prevention’ with conduct disorders for children and young people
At risk factors Youth training intervention and
related psycho-education and identification of underlying needs
Awareness of the developmental interest in fire and how motive / need can alter over time
Intervention
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
• Provision of intervention focuses on the emotionally driven fire-setting rather than instrumental gain
• The majority of post-conviction interventions offered in secure (prison / forensic mental health)
• Problems in evaluation of programmes – reconviction
Recommendations
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
• Crime Assessment and Interviewing
• Incorporating personality, motive, mind-set into an understanding of deliberate fire setting
• Cold case reviews• Fraudulent claims• Suspect strategies and
interview planning• Case building for court
Recommendations
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15
• Training • Multi-agency civil and
criminal justice approach, e.g., – Teachers– Social services– Medics – Fire service– Police – Lawyers
Questions
THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment Tweet your questions to #FSS15