West Sussex Fire Brigade has been awarded £30,000 to help bring the problem of arson under control. News of the grant was announced on Friday (April 4th). The money will be used to appoint a Youth Arson Reduction Co-Ordinator who will run a special programme to tackle the problem.

One million pounds has been made available to councils by the Arson Control Forum, created by the Government in 2000 to tackle the problem of fire-raisers. West Sussex is one of only 28 councils to succeed in a bid for money, out of almost 70 who applied.

The Co-Ordinator, whose post will be funded for a year, will work towards: ·

• Reducing arson related fires.
• Reducing the likelihood of young fire-setters and arsonists re-offending.
• Early intervention so that young fire-setters do not develop a pattern of offending.
• Confronting young arsonists with the consequences of their offending.
• Promoting a system of community reparation when arson occurs.

Identifying other needs of young fire setters that may be the cause of, or impact upon, their fire-setting and refer them to appropriate services such as drug advisory services.

Taking a pro-active approach to reducing arson by analysing fire and police data which will identify "hot spots".

West Sussex Fire Brigade already runs a successful young firesetters scheme . Youngsters are referred to a team of specially trained volunteers from the Fire Brigade and the Youth Offending Team. They visit the young firesetter and work through an accredited programme help to change their behaviour.

The West Sussex Brigade has strong links with other agencies, and parties to the new project will be:

• West Sussex County Council (Education, Probation, Social & Caring Services)
• Sussex Police (Website)
• West Sussex Drug Action Team
• Youth Offending Team (Website)
• District & Borough Crime & Disorder Reduction Partnerships
• Fire Liaison Groups
  
  
  News of the grant was warmly welcomed by Michael Dennis , County Council Cabinet Member for Public Safety. "This is exactly the kind of post we need," he said. "Youngsters are literally dicing with death - their own or someone else's - when they play with fire. Now we can make a much more concentrated effort to eradicate this danger."
  
  The new Co-Ordinator will be able to target areas where many fires are set deliberately, and develop the existing firesetter scheme. The role is expected to make a significant difference to arson figures in the county. More Information about Arson>>>