Deliberately lit fires in New Zealand : where, when and how they occur.

Bibliography: p. 13

The number of fires in New Zealand known to have been deliberately lit, or suspected of being so, increased by 16% over the five-year period 1986 to 1990. Their proportion of all fires went from 7.2 to 8.3 per cent, and the occurrence rate per 100 000 people increased from 41.6 to 46.8 over the same period. The pattern of such fires differed from all fires. They were an urban phenomenon, and the larger the town or city, the higher the rate of incendiary/suspicious fires. United States statistics show a similar pattern. Incendiary/suspicious fires tended to occur late at night and at the weekend. A higher proportion were in vehicles than the proportion for all fires. In 1990, just under 16 per cent of fires in buildings were incendiary/suspicious, and a wider range of property was involved than for all fires. The greatest number were in residential property. Five categories of property - educational, assembly, institutional, offices and shops, and miscellaneous - had incendiary/suspicious fires well in excess of 16 per cent. The types of property involved suggest arson is an opportunist crime in New Zealand. Campaigns aimed at reducing opportunities for arson could, therefore, be successful. Nearly one in six incendiary/suspicious fires caused almost total destruction of property, a higher rate than that for all fires. However, as with all fires, most did little damage. Few people were killed or injured by incendiary/suspicious fires, probably because the fires tend to be lit when buildings are empty. Both incendiary and suspicious fires showed very similar patterns, with the one exception that suspicious fires had double the amount of damage. This is probably because it may be more difficult to establish a cause where there is extensive damage, so the fires are more likely to be put in the suspicious category. New Zealand trends and overseas information are brought together and indicate actions which could reduce the incidence and impact of deliberately lit fires