The arson epidemic
MORE than half the fires attended by Merseyside fire crews are started deliberately, figures revealed last night.
The statistics show that, on average, the service deals with 64 malicious blazes every day.
In all, crews last year attended 23,218 blazes which had been started on purpose, 56pc of the total number of fires.
With the region continuing to suffer from daily fireworks mad-ness, Merseyside Fire Authority will on Thursday approve a plan to tackle arson.
It includes an arson task force with a seconded police officer to help the two emergency services work better together in tackling the menace.
One of the key tasks will be to tackle the endemic problem of car fires which has more than trebled over the last five years.
A total of 934 in 1997/8 had soared to 3,430 last year.
Mike Hagen, Merseyside's deputy chief fire officer, said: "These figures are certainly sobering.
"Deliberate fires not only put a strain on our resources but also the community.
"For instance, a fire at a school has an obvious and profound effect.
"It's one thing to destroy a building but you're also destroying a year's worth of work for pupils, coursework and perhaps years of preparation by teachers.
"And a build-up of lots of smaller fires leaves a scar on a community."
There were 56 arson attacks at Merseyside schools in 2002 and the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service is now promoting the installation of sprinkler systems, particularly in new build schools.
Deputy chief fire officer Hagen said: "Schools are working hard on their security measures but obviously the education authorities also want the schools to be accessible."
With young people responsible for more than a third of arson attacks, the Merseyside force has also made positive strides.
The Merseyside force is keen to work with other partners to reduce arson attacks and believes it is already starting to see positive results.
Mr Hagen said: "Liverpool council has been running its Cube It scheme to remove abandoned vehicles within 48 hours and the latest figures for the last six months on car fires are now encouraging."