Bushfires deliberately lit by ‘cunning, versatile criminals’, more common in school holidays, expert warns
22 September 2019
Published by https://www.abc.net.au/
AUSTRALIA – The rate of deliberately lit fires escalates rapidly during the school holiday period, according to an expert in arson investigations.
The warning comes after emergency services personnel spent recent weeks battling out-of-control bushfires that raged across parts of Queensland.
Dr Paul Read, co-director of the National Centre for Research in Bushfire and Arson, said the great majority of bushfires are deliberately lit by “cunning, furtive and versatile criminals”.
“About 85 per cent are related to human activity, 13 per cent confirmed arson and 37 per cent suspected arson,” he said.
“The remainder are usually due to reckless fire lighting or even just children playing with fire.”
Dr Read said holidays and summer were a bad combination when it came to fire starters.
“School holidays are a prime time for fire bugs, but especially over summer,” he said.
“The kids have got time to get out there and light, and the most dangerous adults choose hot days.”
Taskforce Overcross, which was set up by police this month, found 23 bushfires were thought to have been deliberately or carelessly lit, with action taken against 21 juveniles and nine adults.
The bushfire in the Gold Coast hinterland that destroyed 11 properties and the historic Binna Burra Lodge is still under investigation.
Two teenagers were charged over the Peregian Springs blaze and there have also been “suspicious” fires at Geebung on Brisbane’s northside, Pimpama on the northern Gold Coast and in central Queensland.
Backpackers who accidentally started the Stanthorpe and Applethorpe fires on the Granite Belt will not be charged.
Police dealt with a 12-year-old boy under the Youth Justice Act, over a deliberately lit fire that destroyed bushland in Logan and two 14-year-old girls were also questioned over a bushfire that came close to homes at Ormeau on the north Gold Coast.
Dr Read said while it was disturbing that so many children have been involved in lighting the recent fires, it’s not surprising and sometimes not malicious.
“Children with autism can have a fascination with fire and we also have kids who are victims of child abuse, neglect and depression and often the fire lighting is a cry for help,” Dr Read said.
“There is another group that is just experimenting with fire play and it gets out of hand.
“The fourth group is the difficult group who are truly malicious and heading toward developing full-blown adult psychopathy. This is the group that really needs to be handled by the justice system.”
Older arsonists ‘more concerning’
Dr Read, who is also a Research Fellow at Melbourne’s Monash University, said he was more concerned about older arsonists, who are likely to light fires on high fire danger days and closer to populated areas.
“These people are above the age of 30 and get more dangerous the older they get,” he said.
“What we’re dealing with are people who are pretty embittered with life, some of low intelligence and others who have issues with violence, alcohol and drugs.
“They suffer depression and sometime have personality disorders, sparked by relationship breakdowns or the loss of a job.”
Dr Read said there was no simple answer as to why people deliberately started fires.
“They say that the typical arsonist is a versatile criminal and they can be really hard to profile,” he said.
“The more dangerous fire bugs will come out on the high fire danger days … they’re cunning, they know where to light and they know how to light a fire.”
A 53-year-old man was arrested and charged in Palm Grove on Thursday after allegedly trying to start a fire near Cedar Creek Falls.
Seventeen houses have been destroyed since the fire crisis began last week and multiple fires are still burning around the state.
Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll said Taskforce Overcross aimed to prevent, disrupt and investigate suspicious fires across Queensland.
“Some of the behaviour… has been unfortunately reckless and other behaviour has been purposeful,” Commissioner Carroll said.
“The consequences of some of these fires are dire.
“People can die, buildings and residents are being destroyed … these are not usual conditions, they’re actually quite dangerous.”
Commissioner Carroll said police would be relentless in investigating suspicious fires.
“Arson is a very serious offence that can lead to life imprisonment.”
Dr Read praised the formation of the taskforce.
“I absolutely commend that, it is very responsive,” he said.
“This taskforce will have the ability to collaborate with other departments, police and firefighters and even the community.
“Arson is a very furtive crime and it’s usually the community that has suspicions and that information needs to get to police.”
