Location of Arson Offences: Schools

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Arson in Schools

Over 70% of school fires are started deliberately (DFEE). On an average day three schools in the UK suffer an arson attack. There are some 1400 incidents annually, costing £43 million. Arson attack may be the result of simple vandalism but others may be the result of efforts to conceal evidence of another crime such as burglary.

In the late 1980’s around half of school fires were caused by arson. By the mid 1990’s nearly 70% of all fires were started deliberately. Fires in schools often become major due to the design of the buildings and the absence of anyone on the premises during the hours of darkness and school holidays.

The trends in malicious school fires can be seen from the data below:

UK Statistics

Source: Home Office

A study of school fires in 1995, undertaken by the Arson Prevention Bureau, found that:

• 75% of school fires were the result of malicious fires causing £31 million worth of damage, or two thirds of the total cost of fire damage to schools.

• Just 9 malicious fires caused over £13 million in damage in schools, with one arson attack alone causing a loss of £2.5 million.

• The fire brigade was only called to 45% of the fires. A large number of malicious fires in schools are not reported. However, the cost of these unreported fires is unlikely to be very large.

• Only 15% of schools are secondary schools, but they accounted for 45% of all malicious fires. In contrast, around a half of school arson attacks in 1995 were carried out on primary schools, although they represent around 80% of schools in the UK.

• Around 10% of schools, which had a fire, experienced more than one arson attack. Secondary and special schools were more likely to have more than one malicious fire compared to primary schools.

• 61% of malicious school fires occurred outside the 8 am to 4pm time period. Arson attacks were most common between 6pm and 10pm, particularly for primary schools. A high level of malicious fires in secondary schools also occurred in the afternoon period between 1pm and 3pm.

• From a sample of schools who recorded a fire, around one-third reported the evidence of someone trying to start a fire in the 12 months leading up to the recorded fire. In the same 12 month period, 84% stated that they had experienced at least one incidence of theft, criminal damage, or burglary. Of those schools who had recorded a fire, some 35% had subsequently experienced another fire.

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