Risk Profile: Times of Offence

Limited research is available regarding the times at which arson offences are committed.

There have been four studies which recorded the time of the arson offence (Kammerer et al., 1967; Virkkunen, 1974; Yesavage et al., 1983; and Molnar et al., 1984). One study (Kammerer et al.,) found that a majority (75%) of fires were set in the early evening, during darkness, at the time when most fires would be expected. It is suggested that the darkness might allow the offender time for escape and delay detection; or that offenders were more likely to have been under the influence of alcohol.

Where offences were committed ‘for profit’, i.e. for insurance fraud, these tended to occur between midnight and 0600hours (78% of cases) and only 5% were committed during the hours of daylight, (Molnar et al 1984).

Home Office statistics suggest that almost three-quarters of all calls to brigades for fires started deliberately are between 7.00pm and 7.00am (65,400). The peak period is between 7.00pm and Midnight - which accounts for nearly half (44%) of all calls to deliberate fires (40,600). This is also the peak period for deliberate fires started in road vehicles (49%) – with a further 32% of calls between Midnight and 7.00am. The lowest numbers of calls (7%) to deliberate fires in all locations are made between 7.00am and 1.00pm (6,200).