Antisocial behaviour diverts emergency service resources

● 185 incidents of wilful fire-raising, up 46 on last year

Anti-social behaviour such as setting bins and grassland alight has led to a rise in deliberate fire reports in Dundee.

Latest figures show there were 185 incidents of wilful fire-raising between January and March this year – up 46 on the same period of last year.

Of these, 166 were secondary fires involving refuse, grassland and wheelie bins being set alight.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) local senior officer for Dundee Colin Grieve said: “Deliberately set fires are not only reckless and dangerous but can divert SFRS resources away from genuine emergencies.

“However, through robust and flexible strategic planning, our crews are always ready to respond to any incident to keep our communities safe.

“We continue to work closely alongside key partners to reduce the number of deliberate fires with suspected links to anti-social behaviour.

“Preventing these incidents from occurring in the first place is our main aim and as such we continue to engage with local schools and youth groups to highlight the risks.”

SFRS has been working with communities and partners – such as the Dundee Community Safety Partnership – to address the issue.

This included a safety leaflet drop to around 2,000 residents and the removal of a large amount of scrubland near Braeview Academy.

The statistics for January to March were submitted in a report brought before Dundee City Council on Monday.

It also noted seven casualties and no fatalities were recorded as a result of fire during the period – a significant decrease on the previous year when the figure stood at 29, including two deaths.

The fire service has linked this to the number of home fire safety visits.

Mr Grieve added: “It is pleasing to note that fewer people were injured by fire in the city. The majority of these incidents occurred as a result of cooking, which is why we regularly remind people never to leave the kitchen unattended whilst cooking.

“House fires can be devastating. We don’t want anyone to be involved in such incidents and believe prevention is the best form of defence.

“Our firefighters can visit your home to identify any hazards and will also assist in developing an escape plan as well as supply and install smoke detectors.”