Wrexham.com Uncovers Town Arson Problem

Photo by Ingy The Wingy on Flickr

Wrexham has suffered 147 reported incidents of arson since January 2011 it has been revealed.

Figures obtained by Wrexham.com under the Freedom of Information Act show that rural areas have been by far the worst hit with 27 reported incidents of arson in Ponciau up to March 2nd this year.

The Penycae and Ruabon South ward follows behind with 12 reported incidents, Llay with 8 and Wynnstay, Gwersyllt and Cefn all suffered 7 arson attacks.

The request follows statistics released by North Wales Fire and Rescue which showed that 91 arson attacks on cars have taken place in Wrexham since 1st April 2011, accounting for over half of the 177 deliberate car fires across North Wales in that period.

On Friday evening yet another car was targeted on Rivulet Road in what police described as “a mindless act”.

Discussing the impact of car arson attacks Kevin Jones, Arson Reduction Manager at North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said: “The issue of deliberate car fires in Wrexham has been ongoing for some time, numbers fluctuate and spike every now and again. Unfortunately, there remains the real concern that one of these fires is going to spread to a property and someone may get hurt.

“This type of activity is a serious drain on fire and rescue resources – when crews are called to attend life threatening incidents such as house fires and road traffic collisions, appliances are not diverted from a deliberate fire, the next available fire appliance is mobilised. This may involve a time delay which could prove fatal.

“We have been working closely with local policing teams to combat this issue – arson is a serious crime and in conjunction with North Wales Police we will pursue prosecutions.

“We would appeal to communities to help us stamp out this mindless criminal activity by identifying the culprits and reporting it to North Wales Police by calling 101 or contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

DATA PER AREA – Number of reported incidents of Arson in Wrexham in 2011:

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