Arson cases drop after crackdown

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Brigshaw High School in Allerton Bywater was badly damaged in an arson attack

The number of arson attacks in West Yorkshire has plunged over the last eight years after fire chiefs set up task forces to target the problem.

In Leeds, the number of deliberate fires involving properties and cars has dropped 75% to 899 cases since 2001/2, said West Yorkshire Fire Service.

In Bradford, the number of deliberate and accidental fires fell 50% to 1,310 and Wakefield saw a 41% fall to 680.

The arson task forces comprise fire, police and local council officials.

'Fantastic achievement'

By beating their targets for fire reduction, the task forces have pulled in more than £5m in government grants that will be ploughed into fire prevention.

Assistant chief fire officer Craig McIntosh said: "The aim of creating multi-agency arson task forces was to bring together agencies such as fire, police and district councils to tackle firesetting at its roots by better prevention, education, detection and prosecution.

"Statistics show that a reduction in arson across the Bradford and Wakefield districts has also been accompanied by a welcome drop in accidental fires as well.

"That's a fantastic achievement which improves the quality of life for many communities traditionally plagued by crime and antisocial behaviour."