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Crime Reduction Toolkits

Arson
Crime - Let's bring it down
  
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Toolkit Index

Assessing the Local Situation: Outline Approach

Local strategies need to be based on a clear understanding of the local situation and avoid making assumptions about the problems and their causes. This means gathering and analysing information on:

  • what crimes are taking place and how often

  • where crimes are occurring

  • when they take place

  • why they happen

  • what locations and offenders are involved

This section sets out to help partners with this analysis. It draws on the principles set out in the ‘Conjunction of Criminal Opportunity’ framework developed by the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate. It also provides summary checklists for suggested local use.

Police and fire service records will be an important source of data, but there are many other sources that can supplement this information and provide the capacity to cross check data.

Possible sources of data

Insurance Industry:

information held relating to claims, customer profile, property, premises and costs that may be associated with arson.

Police:

details held of recorded offences , criminals and criminal investigations.

Criminal Justice System:

information held relating to prosecution and punishment of arsonists.

Probation Service:

information held relating to prosecution, punishment, release and whereabouts of arsonists.

Fire Service:

information held about fire trends, activities and patterns associated with deliberate, doubtful and malicious outbreaks of fire and the types of property affected.

Using Information

When collating and analysing information it is important to:

  • Be as clear as possible about what information is required

  • Spend time talking to the person providing the data and understand the basis on which it is collected

  • Be aware of the current uses for the information

  • Run a ‘reasonableness test’

  1. are the figures what one might expect in relation to the area / issue in question ?
  2. are there ‘blips’ ? If so, how can these be explained ?
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