British Campaign Works To Stop School Arson

On an average day, three schools in Great Britain will suffer an arson attack. The number of arson attacks on schools has been increasing steadily in the last ten years, now accounting for 85 percent of all school fires, costing £51 million in 1997. The overall cost of these fires could have built 43 new schools.

Recent arson attacks include:

• A school in Greater Manchester with no previous history of fires or vandalism suffered an attack which caused extensive damage, costing £1.5 million.
• A secondary school in Kent, which suffered arson damage costing £800,000 in a fire that required 50 firefighters to battle it.
• A school in West Yorkshire which suffered widespread damage valued at £1.5 million pounds.
• Changing rooms at a school in Wembley, London were deliberately set on fire, at a cost of £265,000.

With more than 1400 attacks on schools every year, the Arson Prevention Bureau launched a nationwide campaign this summer to help address the problem. Detailed guidance on assessing vulnerability to an attack and how to reduce the risk is being made available to every school in the UK.

The typical arsonist is most likely to be a pupil or ex-pupil, aged between 10 and 16. Disturbingly, the full extent of the problem is likely to be much greater as fire brigades are not always called to small fires.

Launching the campaign, Tony Baker, chief executive of the Arson Prevention Bureau, says, "The current level of arson attacks on schools is unacceptable and must be reduced. Arson not only causes widespread and expensive damage but can severely disrupt pupils' education, impacting on the morale and performance of the school for many years. With every school potentially at risk, this campaign provides much needed help for schools on how, within their limited budgets, they can take practical steps to reduce the risk of becoming an arsonist's next victim, reducing the risk of malicious damage and theft."

Launched at St. Brigid's Roman Catholic School in Knowsley, Merseyside, to representatives from local education authorities, councils, teachers, school governors and the emergency services, the campaign centers on distributing to every school in the UK a booklet entitled, How to Combat Arson in Schools. Sponsored by Zurich Municipal Insurance, it helps schools to assess their own vulnerability to an attack and how they can reduce the arson risk.

Larry Stokes, chairman of the Arson Working Group, which drew up the guidance, and underwriting manager at Zurich Municipal Insurance, says, "The continuing rise in arson attacks on schools presents a major challenge for local educational authorities, who must tackle these with limited resources. Zurich Municipal is delighted to be sponsoring this document, which we believe will help to reduce the incidence of school fires by identifying the principal risks and prioritizing actions accordingly."

Steps schools can take to reduce the arson threat include:

• Deterring unauthorized entry onto school premises, through measures such as fences and security lighting.
• Preventing intruders entering the school building by ensuring that doors and windows are secure. Intruder alarms and closed circuit TV have a high deterrent value.
• Reducing the scope for fire damage. Combustible material should not be left to accumulate. Refuse containers should, ideally, be in a secure compound.
• Trimming losses and disruption following a fire. These include having in place a recovery plan and staff trained in fire procedures.

With improving the standards and resources in education at the heart of government policy, the campaign has been warmly welcomed by George Howarth MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office, who said at the launch, "I am delighted to be here today to witness the launch of the Bureau's revised guidance document on how to tackle arson in schools. I feel sure that the guidance will be a valuable tool in tackling this particularly pernicious crime.

"St. Brigid's School is a highly appropriate venue for such an occasion since it has suffered three arson attacks in recent years, the last of which resulted in the school being totally destroyed. The school is now a fine example of what can be achieved using the latest prevention measures," Howarth said.