Countryside arson alert

Arson Countryside Alert
Surrey Crimestoppers have joined forces with the Surrey Arson Task Force to mount a campaign on combating Countryside Arson. With our help and promotion of the 0800 555 111 phone number, we aim to reduce the incidence of countryside arson.

Countryside arson has now increased into a serious national problem, from which Surrey is not immune. The Surrey Fire and Rescue Service (SF&RS) now attends around 1,700 countryside fire incidents a year. Well over half of these fires are started deliberately.

The Strategy
Specifically, the Countryside Arson Alert scheme involves a high visibility fire and police presence, posters and giveaways. The thrust of this strategy is to be taken into schools, youth group meetings, community and sports centres, forest and woodland public access areas etc.

The main targets for this initiative are school children. Operational fire crews will visit various locations, including schools, to hand out and display 'Stop Arson' literature. The posters advertise a reward of £10 in mobile phone credits from Surrey Crimestoppers, if information we receive leads to the conviction of arsonists.

We expect that:

• This reward scheme will be enticing for young people, so we get the names of juvenile arsonists
• The perpetrators of these crimes will be made fully aware of the efforts being made to apprehend them. This will be achieved via local advertising through the 'Stop Arson' posters and via the media. This should deter all but the most tenacious of offenders

For more information about this campaign and the activities of Surrey Crimestoppers, please email Surrey Crimestoppers or call us on 01483 472 739.

Call 0800 555 111 if you want to give information about crime or criminals anonymously.