Not Protected

ANALYSIS OF DELIBERATE SECONDARY FIRES THROUGHOUT DURING THE 2010 BONFIRE PERIOD

TO BE PRESENTED TO: AUTHORITY CORPORATE LEADERSHIP TEAM THREAT RESPONSE GROUP COMMUNITY SAFETY

This is an unpublished work, the Copyright in which vests in Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service. All rights reserved. The information contained herein is the property of Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service, and is supplied without liability for errors or omissions. No part may be reproduced or used except as authorised by Contract or other written permission. The Copyright and the foregoing restriction on reproduction and use extend to all media in which information may be embodied ©

KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT DIRECTORATE

Date work received: November 2010 Date work completed: April 2011 Page 1 of 41 X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Not Protected Document Control

Amendment History Version / Issue Date Author Remarks / Reason for No. Change 1.0 20/01/2011 Michelle Rasdale Initial Draft 1.1 26/01/2011 Michelle Rasdale Minor Amendments 1.2 07/04/2011 Michelle Rasdale Minor Amendments

Sign-Off List Name Position DCFO Hagan Deputy Chief Fire Officer John Fielding Business Intelligence Manager John Curtis Director of Knowledge & Information Management Phil Garrigan Director of Community Safety Paul Murphy Threat Response Group Manager

Distribution List Name Position I / R Threat Response Group Corporate Leadership Team Community Safety

Related Documents Reference Title Author Version & No. Date 1 Comparative Analysis of the John Fielding 1.1 2010 Bonfire Period - Knowsley 26/01/2011 2 Comparative Analysis of the James Watson 1.2 2010 Bonfire Period – 07/04/2011 3 Comparative Analysis of the Lyn Hurst 1.0 2010 Bonfire Period – Sefton 28/01/2011 4 Comparative Analysis of the James Watson 1.1 2010 Bonfire Period – St Helens 28/01/2011 5 Comparative Analysis of the Lyn Hurst 1.1 2010 Bonfire Period - Wirral 07/04/2011 6 Report Analysing CO2 John Fielding V1 – Emissions from Fires attended 19/08/2009 by Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service Ownership Has it been agreed with the client that this is a publicly owned document? Yes If Yes please state URL: http://www.merseyfire.gov.uk If No please state reason why:

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 2 of 41 Not Protected

1. AGREEMENT...... 5

2. SUMMARY ...... 6

3. INTRODUCTION ...... 7

4. METHODOLOGY ...... 7

5. RESULTS ...... 8

5.1 Bonfire Period Retrospective ...... 8 5.1.1 Deliberate Secondary Fires Retrospective ...... 8

5.2 Comparison with other Fire & Rescue Services ...... 9

5.3 Incident Analysis ...... 10 5.3.1 Overview of Deliberate Secondary Fires ...... 10 5.3.2 5th November Retrospective ...... 11 5.3.3 Deliberate Secondary Fires by Day ...... 11 5.3.4 Cumulative Number of Deliberate Secondary Fire ...... 12 5.3.5 Deliberate Secondary Fires by Hour ...... 13

5.4 Spatial Analysis ...... 14 5.4.1 Deliberate Secondary Fires by District ...... 14 5.4.2 Choropleth Analysis of Deliberate Secondary Fires ...... 15 5.4.3 Deliberate Secondary Fires by Ward ...... 17 5.4.4 Deliberate Secondary Fires by Super Output Area ...... 18 5.4.5 Deliberate Secondary Fires by Station Ground ...... 19 5.4.6 Deprivation Analysis ...... 20 5.4.7 Cost Analysis ...... 21 5.4.8 CO² Analysis ...... 21

5.5 Wheelie Bin Incidents ...... 22

5.6 Firework Incidents ...... 25

5.7 Violence at Work ...... 26

5.8 Initiatives ...... 27 5.8.1 Bonfire Strategy Planning Briefing ...... 27 5.8.2 Bonfire Removal Project ...... 27 5.8.3 Bonfire Period Youth Education Programme 2010 ...... 28 5.8.4 Firework Incident Research Safety Team (FIRST) ...... 28 5.8.5 Trojan Fire Engine ...... 28 5.8.6 Safer Merseyside Bonfire Lunchtime Briefings ...... 28 5.8.7 Merseyside Informed and Learnpro ...... 29

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 3 of 41 Not Protected

5.8.8 Partnership and Advocate Work / Summary of Initiatives ...... 30 5.8.9 Corporate Communications ...... 31 5.8.10 Data Collection Tools ...... 31 5.8.11 Operational Work ...... 32 5.8.12 Debrief ...... 32

6. CONCLUSION ...... 33

7. APPENDICES ...... 34 7.1.1 Table 14: Difference in the Numbers of Deliberate Secondary Fires during the 2009 & 2010 Bonfire Periods by Station Ground ...... 34 7.1.2 Lunchtime Briefing Leaflet ...... 35 7.1.3 Bonfire Leaflet ...... 37 7.1.4 Business Letter ...... 38 7.1.5 Violence at Work Leaflet ...... 39

8. ACTION PLAN ...... 40

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 4 of 41 Not Protected 1. Agreement

For the purpose of this report the following agreement was made between the client and the Knowledge & Information Management Directorate.

This work was requested by DCFO Hagen and received November 2010.

The Manager1 has approved this report/ piece of work can be undertaken by the Knowledge & Information Management Directorate.

If the scope of the work changes, authorisation must be again obtained and would be noted within the version control document sheet.

It was agreed that this report would be produced in draft format by January 2011, and would be sent electronically to the Director of Knowledge & Information Management Directorate and Client for comment.

The Manager / Client agreed that their comments would be received back by January 2011.

The final report, which will always be in PDF format, would be produced by January 2011, subject to receiving comments.

1 John L Curtis X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 5 of 41 Not Protected 2. Summary

This report provides an analysis of Deliberate Secondary Fires, Wheelie Bin Fires and incidents of Violence at Work in Merseyside throughout the 2010 Bonfire Period, with a comparison against previous years. For the purpose of this report, the Bonfire Period is defined as the 19th October – 7th November. The central points of the report can be summarised as follows:

Merseyside wide there have been reductions in the number of Deliberate Secondary Fires when comparing 2010 to 2009. Furthermore the 724 incidents reported in 2010 make it the quietest Bonfire Period in the last 5 years. When comparing incident types, the most notable reductions have been in; Refuse Fires (-80, -16.6%). These have largely contributed to an overall reduction of 37 fires (4.9%) when comparing 2010 to 2009. Liverpool saw the greatest number of incidents with 306, followed by Wirral (157) and Knowsley (108). However when considering the number of incidents per 10,000 population Knowsley witnessed the most with 7.2 incidents per 10,000 population, followed by Liverpool with 6.9. Three of the five districts saw a reduction in incidents when compared to 2009, Liverpool (-8), Sefton (-41) and St Helens (-1). However, Knowsley and Wirral both witnessed slight increase of 1 and 12 incidents respectively. Of the top wards for incidents, 7 were located in Liverpool. and Tranmere with 38 incidents was the peak ward and also saw an increase of 6 fires (18.8%) when compared to 2009. Bidston & St James and Clubmoor were second and third with 26 incidents a piece. However, each saw reductions of 15 (36.6%) and 7 (21.2%) incidents respectively. The analysis has shown a strong link between deprivation and Deliberate Secondary Fires within Merseyside. Of all incidents reported, 28.5% of them were within the top 10% most deprived areas compared to only 1.7% being reported in the top 10% most affluent areas. Finally, the report also highlights the numerous initiatives that MF&RS with partner agencies have undertaken in a bid to reduce Deliberate Secondary Fires. These include the bonfire removal scheme, the Trojan Fire engine, school visits, advocate duties such as leafleting areas; as well as using the latest intelligence via the lunchtime briefings.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 6 of 41 Not Protected 3. Introduction

Historically, the seasonal Bonfire Period sees an increase in Deliberate Fire setting and Anti-Social Behaviour incidents.

This report presents a comparative analysis of incidents that occurred during the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods. For the purpose of this report, the Bonfire Period is the 19th October until midnight of the 7th November. This date range was used for both the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods, meaning that direct year on year comparisons can be made.

This report focuses primarily on Deliberate Secondary Fires. These are often referred to as ASB or Anti Social Behaviour fires; and typically includes small fires such as: refuse fires, bonfires, areas of grassland and derelict structures.

This report aims to assess the impact of initiatives led by Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service, as well as partner agencies within this period.

4. Methodology

To identify and analyse any trends in incidents during the Bonfire Periods in 2009 and 2010 the following methodologies were followed:

The period of analysis covered from 00.00hrs on 19th October to 23.59hrs on 7th November2. Fire related incidents analysed within this report are all Deliberate Secondary Fires3. Instances of Violence at Work have been collected from the OSHENS Health and Safety System. The analytical tools adopted in this report includes: o MapInfo Mapping Software – used to identify hotspot areas for incidents and used to filter data according to district, ward, Super Output Area and Police Beat level. o Crystal Reports – utilised to extract raw data and information from the BOSS Fire Reporting System. o Excel – used to analyse raw data. o Information gained regarding tonnage of bonfire materials removed, void properties secured etc was gained through TRG4 and the Local Authorities. The wheelie bin analysis is based on the “Wheelie Bin” tag in Vision Boss; not on a narrative search. The Incident Recording System was used for the Fireworks analysis.

It should be noted that the majority of analysis contained within this report will be presented at the Merseyside level. Five additional local authority reports supplement this main report.

2 Previous Bonfire reports ran from 07:00 20th October – 07:00 7th November. Therefore the historical figures in this report will differ slightly in comparison to previous reports 3 FSEC (Fire Service Emergency Cover) incidents codes include: 04 01 – Derelict Building, 04 02 – Grassland, 04 03 – Bonfires, 04 04 – Outdoor Structure, 04 05 – Refuse, 04 06 – Derelict Vehicle. 4 Survey used by TRG Advocates to record void properties, tonnage of bonfire material used was created and maintained by Business Intelligence. X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 7 of 41 Not Protected 5. Results

In order to contextualise incidents during the 2010 Bonfire Period, it is important to understand the number and type of incidents that have occurred during previous Bonfire Periods.

5.1 Bonfire Period Retrospective

5.1.1 Deliberate Secondary Fires Retrospective

Chart 1: Total Number of Deliberate Secondary Fires in Merseyside for the Previous Five Bonfire Periods

The Bonfire Period of 2010 witnessed the lowest number of Deliberate Secondary Fires in recent years.

Chart 1 illustrates that during the 2010 bonfire period there were 724 deliberate secondary fires overall, which is a reduction of 37 incidents (4.9%) from the 2009 bonfire period.

Over the last 5 bonfire periods there has been a reduction in the number of deliberate secondary fires year on year, from 1704 incidents in 2006 to 724 in 2010, a reduction of 980 (57.5%) incidents. Furthermore between the 2007 and 2008 bonfire period there was a large reduction in deliberate secondary fires, from 1580 incidents in 2007 to 1011 incidents in 2008, a 569 (36%) incident reduction. Bonfires have also witnessed a reduction in numbers when comparing 2006 with the 2010 Bonfire Period, from 556 incidents in 2006 to 236 in 2010, a reduction of 320 (57.6%) incidents.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 8 of 41 Not Protected 5.2 Comparison with other Fire & Rescue Services

Chart 2: Deliberate Secondary Fires per 10,000 Head of Population for the Metropolitan Fire & Rescue Services in during the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods Deliberate Secondary Fires per 10,000 Head of Population for the Metropolitan Fire and Rescue Services in England during the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods 7.0

6.0 +0.5 -0.2

5.0

4.0

3.2 -0.4 3.0 -0.5 2.9

2.0 -0.6 Number Incidentsof per 10,000population -0.6

1.0

-0.1 5.7 6.2 5.6 5.4 3.3 2.9 3.2 2.7 2.2 1.6 2.1 1.5 0.4 0.3 0.0 Tyne and Wear Merseyside Greater Manchester West Yorkshire South Yorkshire West Midlands London

Fire and Rescue Service

2009 Deliberate Secondary Fires per 10,000 population 2010 Deliberate Secondary Fires per 10,000 population 2009 Average 2010 Average

It can be seen that six of the Metropolitan Fire & Rescue Services have seen reductions in incidents per 10,000 head of population when comparing the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods. The largest joint reduction was in South Yorkshire and West Midlands, with -0.6. In comparison, there was an increase in the number of incidents per 10,000 head of population in Tyne and Wear (+0.5). During the 2010 Bonfire Period, five of the seven Metropolitan Fire and Rescue Services were below the 2010 average number of incidents per 10,000 head of population: Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Midlands and London.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 9 of 41 Not Protected

5.3 Incident Analysis

Using the FSEC coding system, Secondary Fires are one of: Derelict Buildings, Grassland, Intentional Burning / Bonfires, Outdoor Structures, Refuse Fires and Derelict Building Fires.

5.3.1 Overview of Deliberate Secondary Fires

Table 1: Total Number of Deliberate Secondary Fires in Merseyside for the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods, by Incident Type Incident Type 2009 2010 Difference % Change 04 01 Derelict Building 8 16 8 100.0% 04 02 Grassland 37 49 12 32.4% 04 03 Intentional Burning / Bonfire 214 236 22 10.3% 04 04 Outdoor Structure 21 20 -1 -4.8% 04 05 Refuse Fire 481 401 -80 -16.6% 04 06 Derelict Vehicle 0 2 2 N/A Grand Total 761 724 -37 -4.9%

Table 1 highlights that the incident types to have witnessed the greatest number of incidents throughout both the 2009 and 2010 bonfire periods were „Intentional Burning/Bonfire‟ and „Refuse Fire‟. During the 2010 bonfire period „Intentional Burning/Bonfire‟ accounted for 236 incidents and „Refuse Fire‟ witnessed 401 incidents.

The incident types to have witnessed reductions when comparing 2009 with the 2010 bonfire period were: „Outdoor Structure‟ with a reduction of 1 incident and „Refuse Fire‟ with a reduction of 80 incidents and has therefore largely contributed to the overall reduction of deliberate secondary fires.

All other incident types saw increases in incident numbers between the two bonfire periods: „Derelict Building‟ with an increase of 8 incidents, „Grassland‟ with an increase of 12 incidents, „Intentional Burning/Bonfire‟ with an increase of 22 incidents and „Derelict Vehicle‟ with an increase of 2 incidents.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 10 of 41 Not Protected 5.3.2 5th November Retrospective

Table 2: Total Number of Deliberate Secondary Fires in Merseyside on the 5th November (2006 – 2010), by Year and Incident Type Incident Type 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Grand Total 04 01 Derelict Building 12 7 5 4 1 29 04 02 Grassland 13 11 4 0 4 32 04 03 Intentional Burning / Bonfire 151 112 81 66 69 479 04 04 Outdoor Structure 9 5 2 3 1 20 04 05 Refuse Fire 101 55 66 55 42 319 04 06 Derelict Vehicle 0 1 0 0 0 1 Grand Total 286 191 158 128 117 880

The table above highlights that the 5th November 2010 has been the quietest Bonfire Night for the past 5 years for Deliberate Secondary Fires, with a total of 117 incidents. This represents a reduction of 11 (8.6%) when compared to 2009, which was the previous five year low.

Also of note is that 2010 bonfire period reported the fewest number of Refuse Fires (42) in the past five years, while the number of Bonfires in 2010 has increased by 3 incidents, when compared to the 2009 Bonfire period.

5.3.3 Deliberate Secondary Fires by Day

Chart 3: Daily Distribution of Deliberate Secondary Fires in Merseyside for the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods (Including a 3 Year Average) Comparison of Deliberate Secondary Fires in Merseyside between 2009, 2010 and the 3 year average, by Day 180

160 159

140 128

120 117

100

80 Number Incidentsof 60

40

20

0 19 Oct 20 Oct 21 Oct 22 Oct 23 Oct 24 Oct 25 Oct 26 Oct 27 Oct 28 Oct 29 Oct 30 Oct 31 Oct 01 Nov 02 Nov 03 Nov 04 Nov 05 Nov 06 Nov 07 Nov

Day

2009 period 2010 period 3 year average

Chart 3 indicates that from 19th October to 25th October the 2010 bonfire period followed a similar pattern in the number of incidents to the 2009 bonfire period as well as the 3 year average. However from 26th October to the 30th October the 2010 bonfire period took on an opposite trend to the 2009 bonfire period, with incident numbers mostly decreasing between these dates in 2010 whereas X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 11 of 41 Not Protected incident numbers mostly increased between these dates in 2009. For example from 27th to the 28th October in 2009 deliberate secondary fires increased from 44 to 73 respectively whereas in 2010 deliberate secondary fires decreased from 32 on the 27th October to 22 on the 28th October.

From the 1st November onwards the number of deliberate secondary fires during the 2010 bonfire period once again continued on a similar pattern to the 2009 bonfire period and the 3 year average. Both the 2009 and 2010 bonfire periods and the 3 year average all peaked in incident numbers on 5th November, with 128 incidents occurring during the 2009 bonfire period, 117 occurring during the 2010 bonfire period and 159 occurring over the 3 year average.

5.3.4 Cumulative Number of Deliberate Secondary Fire

Chart 4: Cumulative Sum of Deliberate Secondary Fires in Merseyside for the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods (Including a 3 Year Average) Cumulative comparision of Deliberate Secondary Fires in Merseyside between 2009, 2010 and the 3 year average, by Day 1200

1117

1000

800 761 724

600 Number Incidentsof 400

200

0 19 Oct 20 Oct 21 Oct 22 Oct 23 Oct 24 Oct 25 Oct 26 Oct 27 Oct 28 Oct 29 Oct 30 Oct 31 Oct 01 Nov 02 Nov 03 Nov 04 Nov 05 Nov 06 Nov 07 Nov

Day 2009 period 2010 period 3 year average

Chart 4 compares the cumulative total throughout the 2010 Bonfire Period, compared to the 2009 Bonfire Period and the three year average. From 26th October onwards it is evident that the daily cumulative totals during the 2010 bonfire period were consistently lower than the 2009 bonfire period and the 3 year average.

The chart further illustrates that the majority of incidents occurred on 5th and 6th November, with notable rises in incidents across all three comparatives between these dates.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 12 of 41 Not Protected 5.3.5 Deliberate Secondary Fires by Hour

Chart 5: Hourly Distribution of Deliberate Secondary Fires in Merseyside for the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods (Including a 3 Year Average) Comparison of Deliberate Secondary Fires in Merseyside between 2009, 2010 and the 3 year average, by Hour 200

180

160 170

140 130 120

108 100

80 Number Incidentsof

60

40

20

0

Hour 2009 2010 3 year average

Chart 5 illustrates that the majority of deliberate secondary fires, across all three periods, occurred in the late afternoon to late evening hours, between 16:00hrs and 22:59hrs. The peak hour for incidents has been reasonably consistent throughout all three periods, between 19:00hrs and 19:59hrs for both 2009 and 2010 and between 18:00hrs and 18:59hrs for the 3 year average. However the peak number of incidents during the hour (19:00hrs-19:59hrs) in the 2010 bonfire period was notably lower (22 incidents fewer) than the corresponding hour in the 2009 period and the 3 year average. It is also important to point out that between 02:00hrs and 10:59hrs there is a consistent lack of deliberate secondary fires, with incident numbers after this time increasing exponentially.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 13 of 41 Not Protected

5.4 Spatial Analysis

5.4.1 Deliberate Secondary Fires by District

Chart 6: Total Number of Deliberate Secondary Fires and Incidents per 10,000 population in Merseyside for the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods, by District5 Total Number of Deliberate Secondary Fires in Merseyside for the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods per 10,000 Population 8.0

7.0 7.2 7.2 7.1 6.9

6.0

5.0 5.1 4.8 4.7 4.7 4.0 4.0

3.0

2.5

Number Incidentsof per 10,000population 2.0

1.0

0.0 Knowsley Liverpool Sefton St Helens Wirral

District

2009 Incidents per 10,000 population 2010 Incidents per 10,000 population

Chart 6 highlights that the district to have witnessed the greatest number of deliberate secondary fires during the 2010 bonfire period was Liverpool with 306 incidents. However when considering the number of incidents per 10,000 population, Liverpool witnessed 6.9 incidents, whereas Knowsley witnessed 108 deliberate secondary fires but was the district to have witnessed the greatest number of incidents per 10,000 population, with 7.2, similar to what it witnessed in 2009. A conclusion of this is that Knowsley is at the greatest risk of deliberate secondary fires during the bonfire period.

Sefton was the district to have seen the lowest number of incidents per 10,000 population during the 2010 bonfire period and it was also the district to have seen the largest fall in incidents per 10,000 population when compared to the 2009 bonfire period, with a reduction of 1.5. Wirral was the only district to have witnessed an increase in incidents (0.4) when compared to 2009.

5 Population figures are taken from the Office of National Statistics X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 14 of 41 Not Protected 5.4.2 Choropleth Analysis of Deliberate Secondary Fires

Map 1: Choropleth Map of Deliberate Secondary Fires in Merseyside during the 2009 Bonfire Period

Map 1 highlights that in 2009 the wards of north Liverpool witnessed high numbers of deliberate secondary fires, particularly: Clubmoor, Everton and Riverside, as indicated by the darkest shade on the map key. Speke-Garston was another ward in the south of Liverpool which experienced remarkably high numbers of deliberate secondary fires. A further two wards in the east of the Wirral (Bidston & St James and Birkenhead & Tranmere) also witnessed high numbers of incidents, with 33 and 32 incidents respectively.

It is also notable from this map that all of the VAW incidents clustered within wards with high numbers of deliberate secondary fires. In St Helens, 3 incidents of VAW occurred within the Bold ward which was also the ward to have witnessed the greatest number of deliberate secondary fires (11) compared to the remainder of the wards in this district. Furthermore, 3 VAW incidents were clustered within the Central ward of Knowsley which was also one of the wards to experience the highest number of deliberate secondary fires (15).

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 15 of 41 Not Protected

Map 2: Hotspot Map of Deliberate Secondary Fires in Merseyside during the 2010 Bonfire Period

Map 2 indicates that three wards in north Liverpool (Kirkdale, 20, Clubmoor, 26, and Kensington & Fairfield, 21) and two wards on the east of the Wirral (Bidston & St James, 26 and Birkenhead & Tranmere, 38) witnessed the greatest number of deliberate secondary fires as indicated by the darkest shade on the map key.

It is also notable from this map that all of the VAW incidents tended to cluster around central Merseyside, with 3 incidents in Liverpool north, two in Knowsley north and 1 in Sefton south.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 16 of 41 Not Protected 5.4.3 Deliberate Secondary Fires by Ward

Table 3: Rank and Total Number of Deliberate Secondary Fires in Merseyside for the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Period by Ward (ordered by 2009 incidents) Ward 2009 Rank 2010 Rank Difference % Change Birkenhead and Tranmere 32 3 38 1 6 18.8% Clubmoor 41 1 26 =2 -15 -36.6% Bidston and St James 33 2 26 =2 -7 -21.2% Kensington and Fairfield 13 13 21 4 8 61.5% Kirkdale 15 11 20 5 5 33.3% Riverside 21 =5 18 6 -3 -14.3% Speke-Garston 21 =5 17 =7 -4 -19.0% Rock Ferry 15 =9 17 =7 2 13.3% Everton 23 4 15 =9 -8 -34.8% Tuebrook and Stoneycroft 18 7 15 =9 -3 -16.7% Croxteth 17 8 15 =9 -2 -11.8% Norris Green 14 12 15 =9 1 7.1% Parr 15 =9 15 =9 0 0.0% Anfield 10 14 14 =14 4 40.0% Princes Park 7 15 14 =14 7 100.0%

Table 3 indicates that the top 3 wards for deliberate secondary fires during the 2009 bonfire period were also the top 3 wards during the 2010 bonfire period. The top ward for incidents during 2009 was Clubmoor, with 41 incidents, and this ward was the second top ward in 2010 with 26 incidents, a reduction of 15 between the two periods. Birkenhead & Tranmere on comparison witnessed the most incidents during the 2010 bonfire period, with 38 incidents, an increase of 6 compared to the 2009 period.

Other wards to have witnessed large increases in incidents between the two bonfire periods were: Kensington & Fairfield with an increase of 8 incidents, Princes Park with an increase of 7, Kirkdale with an increase of 5 and Anfield with an increase of 4.

Wards to have witnessed the greatest reductions in deliberate secondary fires when comparing the 2009 bonfire period with the 2010 bonfire period were: Everton with a reduction of 8 incidents and Bidston & St James with a reduction of 7.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 17 of 41 Not Protected 5.4.4 Deliberate Secondary Fires by Super Output Area

Subsequent to identifying peak wards for Deliberate Secondary Fires, it is important to drill down into these areas to understand exactly where these fires are occurring; this is achieved by completing a Super Output Area6 (SOA) analysis.

Table 5: Top 5 SOA‟s in Merseyside for Deliberate Secondary Fires during the 2010 Bonfire Period Key Streets/Roads SOA Ward District within SOA Total Birkenhead and Tranmere Wirral 10 E01007127 Bentinck Street Claughton Wirral 1 Birkenhead and Tranmere Wirral Incidents 9 E01007126 dispersed Bidston and St James Wirral throughout SOA 1 E01006612 Clubmoor Liverpool Abington Road 9 E01006694 Kensington and Fairfield Liverpool Tudor Street 8 E01006703 Kirkdale Liverpool Tetlow Street 8

Table 5 highlights that the top SOA‟s for incident numbers during the 2010 Bonfire Period are concentrated in either Liverpool or the Wirral and it is clear that there is often a single road/location within each of these SOA‟s where incidents are occurring.

The chief location for incidents was in Birkenhead & Tranmere on Bentinck Street in SOA E01007127 with 10 incidents. The 10 incidents reported there contributed to this area being both the top SOA and ward for incidents Merseyside wide. This chief location was closely followed by Abingdon Road in Clubmoor, SOA E01006612 with 9 incidents.

6 An SOA is a small geographical area with an average population of 1,500 residents. As wards can vary in both size and population, an SOA analysis can allow for more accurate comparisons to be made. X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 18 of 41 Not Protected 5.4.5 Deliberate Secondary Fires by Station Ground

Chart 7: Difference in the Numbers of Deliberate Secondary Fires during the 2009 & 2010 Bonfire Periods by Station Ground Difference in the Number of Deliberate Secondary Fires between the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods, by Station Ground 20

15

10

5

0

Difference -5

-10

-15

-20

-25

Station Ground

Chart 7 illustrates that Crosby (Station 31) saw the largest reduction in incidents (20) between the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods compared to any other station ground. This is due to the substantial reductions reported throughout Sefton, specifically in wards such as Litherland, Linacre and Derby which fall within the boundaries of this station ground.

The station with the largest increase in incidents (15) was (Station 40), which can be attributed to the rise in incidents in Page Moss, East and St Michaels, which all fall within the boundaries of this particular station ground. This result is surprising because during the 2009 bonfire period Huyton was the station to have witnessed the greatest reduction in incidents when comparing the 2008 and 2009 bonfire periods7.

7 See Appendix 7.1.1 for Table 14 which illustrates the „Difference in the Numbers of Deliberate Secondary Fires during the 2009 & 2010 Bonfire Periods by Station Ground.‟ X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 19 of 41 Not Protected 5.4.6 Deprivation Analysis

Chart 8: Deliberate Secondary Fires in Merseyside for the 2009 & 2010 Bonfire Periods in Relation to Deprivation Deliberate Secondary Fires during the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods in Relation to Deprivation within Merseyside 250 2009 2010

200

150

100 Proportion of Proportionof Incidents

50

0 0-10% 10-20% 20-30% 30-40% 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% 90-100%

Most Deprived Areas Most Affluent Areas in Merseyside Deprivation in Merseyside

Chart 8 visibly displays that during both the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods, the more deprived areas of Merseyside saw remarkably more fires than the most affluent areas.

During the 2010 Bonfire Period, 28.5% of all deliberate secondary fires were concentrated in the top 10% of the most deprived areas of Merseyside (47.7% in the top 20%) whereas only 1.7% of fires occurred within the 10% of the most affluent areas.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 20 of 41 Not Protected 5.4.7 Cost Analysis8

Table 6: Cost of Deliberate Secondary Fires during the last six Bonfire Periods Year Deliberate Secondary Fire Cost of Deliberate Secondary Fires9 2005 1074 £2,141,266.00 2006 1704 £3,486,503.20 2007 1580 £3,330,877.00 2008 1011 £2,137,658.40 2009 761 £1,536,185.00 2010 724 £1,499,831.10

In accordance with the Q3 2010 cost analysis figures, the cost of 724 deliberate secondary fires attended during the 2010 bonfire period was £1,499,831.10. Although this is a reduction of £36,353.90 (2.4%) on the previous 2009 bonfire period and a reduction of £1,986,672.10 (57.0%) on the 2006 bonfire period, this is still a considerable sum of money for attending these incidents over the bonfire period.

5.4.8 CO² Analysis

Table 7: Estimates of CO² (tonnes) expelled from secondary fires during the bonfire period (based on average incident duration)10 Year Number of Secondary Fires CO² emissions from Secondary Fires 2006 CO² 1704 420.37 2007 CO² 1580 446.88 2008 CO² 1011 301.15 2009 CO² 761 180.11 2010 CO² 724 187.23 Grand Total 5780 1529.02

Table 7 and Chart 9 illustrate the estimated output of CO² from secondary fires during each bonfire period from 2006 to 2010. These figures are based on the number of secondary fires which occurred during each bonfire period and also the average duration of these incidents.

It is evident that between 2007 and 2009 there have been yearly reductions in the amount of CO² emitted during these bonfire periods, with 2007 witnessing the highest amount of CO² emissions (447 tonnes) and 2009 witnessing the lowest CO² emissions at just over 180 tonnes, compared to the last 5 bonfire periods. However during the 2010 bonfire period there has been a slight increase in the amount of CO² emitted, from 180 tonnes during the 2009 bonfire period to 187 tonnes in 2010 (an increase of 7 tonnes, 3.9%). We know from previous incident analysis that the 2010 bonfire period witnessed the lowest number of incidents when compared to the previous 5 bonfire periods. Therefore it can be concluded that the rise in CO² emissions is due to a lengthier average duration time of secondary fires during 2010.

8 Cost analysis based on Cost of Fire 2004, CLG. 9 The cost of deliberate secondary fires during each year was calculated by taking the cost of fires at the third quarter of each year, in line with the bonfire period. 10 Measurements for CO² are based on the work of Dr Jim Marsden of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. Please view related document 6 for details concerning method. X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 21 of 41 Not Protected

Chart 9: Estimates of CO² (tonnes) expelled from secondary fires during the bonfire period (based on average incident duration) Estimates of CO² (tonnes) expelled from secondary fires during the bonfire period (based on average incident duration) 500.00

450.00 446.88

400.00 420.37

350.00

300.00 301.15

250.00

200.00 Estimated tonnes CO² of 187.23 180.11 150.00

100.00

50.00

0.00 2006 CO² 2007 CO² 2008 CO² 2009 CO² 2010 CO² Year

5.5 Wheelie Bin Incidents

Incidents involving wheelie bins11 offer a significant risk to the public and traditionally there is a rise in this type of incident during the seasonal Bonfire Period. With more wheelie bins being issued throughout Merseyside there is a greater risk of fire and so the threat to the community is increased.

Table 8: Total Number of Wheelie Bin Incidents in Merseyside for the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods by District District 2009 2010 Difference % Change Knowsley 27 28 1 3.7% Liverpool 55 56 1 1.8% Sefton 10 3 -7 -70.0% St Helens 15 13 -2 -13.3% Wirral 34 26 -8 -23.5% Grand Total 141 126 -15 -10.6%

Table 8 and Map 3 highlight Liverpool as the district to have witnessed the greatest number of wheelie bin fires during both the 2009 and the 2010 bonfire period, with 55 and 56 incidents respectively.

Two of the five districts of Merseyside have both unfortunately seen an increase of 1 wheelie bin related fires when comparing the 2009 Bonfire Period to the same period of 2010.

11 It should be noted that wheelie bin incidents include all fire types, not just Deliberate Secondary Fires. X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 22 of 41 Not Protected

Overall the number of wheelie bin fires has reduced by 15 incidents (10.6%) from 141 incidents during the 2009 bonfire period to 126 during the 2010 bonfire period.

Table 9: Top Wards12 for Wheelie Bin incidents in Merseyside for the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods (Ordered by 2010 Total) Ward District 2009 2010 Difference % Change Birkenhead and Tranmere Wirral 13 8 -5 -38.5% Clubmoor Liverpool 4 7 3 75.0% Fazakerley Liverpool 1 6 5 500.0% Page Moss Knowsley 0 5 5 N/A Seacombe Wirral 2 5 3 150.0% Speke-Garston Liverpool 2 4 2 100.0% Cherryfield Knowsley 2 4 2 100.0% County Liverpool 0 4 4 N/A Thatto Heath St Helens 1 4 3 300.0%

Table9 displays that Birkenhead & Tranmere was the ward to witness the greatest number of wheelie bin related fires during both the 2009 and 2010 bonfire periods. Even though during 2010 this was the top ward for incidents with 8, this is a reduction of 5 incidents when comparing 2009 with the 2010 bonfire period.

Also evident from the table above is that the remainder of the top wards for Wheelie Bin Fires in 2010 have seen increases in incidents when compared to the 2009 period. Fazakerley and Page Moss which saw 1 and 0 incidents in 2009 respectively have in the 2010 bonfire period experienced increases of 5 incidents a piece.

12 Only those wards where 4 or more incidents in 2010 are included in the table X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 23 of 41 Not Protected

Map 3: Hotspot Map of Wheelie Bin Incidents in Merseyside during the 2010 Bonfire Period

As with Deliberate Secondary Fires, the primary areas for Wheelie Bin Fires are within north Liverpool and also the Birkenhead and Kirkby areas, as illustrated by the darkest shade on the map key. Additional wards with high levels of incidents include: Speke-Garston in Liverpool and Prescot East and Page Moss in Knowsley.

Map 3 illustrates that the wards to have witnessed the greatest number of wheelie bin related fires were similar to those to have witnessed the large numbers of deliberate secondary fires. There were numerous wards across Merseyside (56) to have witnessed between 0 and 1 wheelie bin incidents as indicated by the lightest shade from the map key.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 24 of 41 Not Protected

5.6 Firework Incidents13

The following section analyses firework related incidents in Merseyside, both accidental and deliberate.

The majority of fireworks sold both prior to and during the Bonfire Period are used in a safe and controlled manner. However, there are some which are purchased to be used in an anti-social manner. On occasions, fireworks bought for recreational purposes can also lead to fire.

Table 10: Firework Related Incidents in Merseyside, by Year Year Total 2008 33 2009 21 2010 26 Grand Total 80

Table 10 indicates that from 2008 to 2009 there was a 12 incident reduction from 33 firework related incidents in 2008 to 21 in 2009. This rose again during the 2010 bonfire period by 5 incidents to give 26 firework related incidents during this time period.

Table 11: Firework related incidents in Merseyside during the 2010 Bonfire Period, by Property Type Property Type Total Dwelling House - single occupancy 11 Car 8 Other outdoors (including land)-Loose refuse 1 Other Residential-Other Residential Home 1 Outdoor structures-Large refuse/rubbish container (e.g. skip) 1 Outdoor structures-Outdoor storage 1 Outdoor structures-Post box 1 Outdoor structures-Small refuse/rubbish container (e.g. wheelie bin) 1 Outdoor structures-Telephone box 1 Grand Total 26

During the 2010 bonfire period the property type to have witnessed the greatest number of firework related incidents was „Dwelling House – single occupancy‟ with 11 incidents (42.3% of the total). This was followed by „Car‟ with 8 incidents (30.8% of the total).

13 This Firework related incident data has been extracted from Incident Recording System using Crystal Reports. X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 25 of 41 Not Protected

Table 12: Firework Related Incidents in Merseyside during the 2010 Bonfire Period by District District Total Knowsley 1 Liverpool 16 Sefton 4 St Helens 1 Wirral 4 Grand Total 26

Table 12 indicates that Liverpool was the district to have witnessed the greatest proportion of the overall number of firework related incidents in Merseyside, with 16 (61.5% of the total). Following this was Sefton and Wirral both with 4 incidents a piece.

5.7 Violence at Work

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service takes any act of violence aimed towards service personnel very seriously. Due to the nature of the Bonfire period, which is the busiest time of the year for antisocial behaviour, the risk of crews coming into contact with violent offenders is increased.

VAW can include: objects being thrown at the crews / appliance, physical abuse, verbal abuse, harassment, threatening behaviour and other acts of aggression.

Table 13: Total Number of Recorded VAW Incidents in Merseyside during the 2009 and 2010 Bonfire Periods District 2009 2010 Difference % Change Knowsley 4 2 -2 -50.0% Liverpool 5 3 -2 -40.0% Sefton 3 1 -2 -66.7% St Helens 3 0 -3 -100.0% Wirral 1 0 -1 -100.0% Total 16 6 -10 -62.5%

Table 13 displays that there were 6 incidents of Violence at Work during 2010 compared to 16 in 2009, a reduction of 10 incidents.

All of the districts of Merseyside have seen reductions in the numbers of Violence at Work, the greatest of which occurred in St Helens with a reduction of 3 incidents.

Although Liverpool has seen the greatest number of incidents in both the 2008 and 2009 Bonfire Periods, there has been a reduction of 2 incidents within this district.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 26 of 41 Not Protected

5.8 Initiatives

During the bonfire period, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service in partnership with other agencies operate multiple initiatives with the intention of reducing risk to the community as well as risk to fire and rescue officers and our partners. It must be emphasised that without the full cooperation and dedication of partners the reductions of deliberate secondary fires in recent years would not have been possible.

The 2010 Bonfire Plan was delivered in 3 phases: Phase 1 - Pre-Bonfire Period Phase 2 - Bonfire Period Phase 3 - Debrief

Phase 1 – Pre-Bonfire Period

5.8.1 Bonfire Strategy Planning Briefing

Prior to the bonfire period, Community Safety Partners and the District Management Team were invited to attend a briefing which gave a Merseyside overview of the MF&RS bonfire plan. This partnership briefing enabled open dialogue between local authorities and to set in place strategic plans for the upcoming bonfire period.

5.8.2 Bonfire Removal Project

In the run up and also during the bonfire period Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service‟s Threat Response Group co-ordinated a joint partnership initiative between the Local Authorities, the Probation Service and other local partners. The primary focus of the initiative was the collection and removal of materials suitable for bonfires from the streets of Merseyside.

During the 2010 Bonfire Period, Merseyside Rescue Service along with our partners in the five Merseyside districts, removed over 1100 tonnes of combustible materials from the streets of Merseyside, an increase of 37.7% on the previous year.

In addition, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service‟s Threat Response team also placed skips in strategic hotspot areas throughout the local districts whereby waste materials could be disposed of. Community newsletter and leaflets were distributed throughout the communities in order to inform them of the skips and their purpose.

Fire Service Direct also acted as a point of contact for the public to contact in relation to gathering of waste materials suitable for bonfires. Fire Service Direct received around 250 calls during the Bonfire Period.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 27 of 41 Not Protected 5.8.3 Bonfire Period Youth Education Programme 2010

An education programme was delivered to over 90 schools and youth clubs, identified as hotspots based on historical data, by TRG Advocates, MFRS School Fire Liaison Officers, Operational Fire Crews and Safer Schools Officers between September 13th and October 22nd. This programme focused on highlighting the risks involved during the bonfire period and to encourage young people to have a safe approach to the bonfire period and discourage fire related anti-social behaviour.

5.8.4 Firework Incident Research Safety Team (FIRST)

Prior to the firework retailing period and during the bonfire period inspections were held by Operational Fire Crews to ensure compliance with the firework regulations.

During the bonfire period over 4 tonnes of fireworks were seized. Of those seized, 3 tonnes were released at King George V Fields in Knowsley as a diversionary activity which was attended by 5600 people.

Phase 2 – Bonfire Period

5.8.5 Trojan Fire Engine

The Trojan Fire Engine is a joint initiative held between Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and Merseyside Police which was utilised on 29th, 30th & 31st October and 4th & 5th November. The identification of deployment areas was developed from intelligence over months of research and also from the daily bonfire briefings. Hotspot areas were identified from areas where incidents of Violence at Work and ASB had occurred. This enabled an agreed strategy, between MF&RS and the Police, to maximise the efficiency of the Trojan operation and the supporting „spotter‟ cars. This scheme assisted in the 62.5% reduction in Violence at Work.

5.8.6 Safer Merseyside Bonfire Lunchtime Briefings

From the 27th October to the 8th November, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service hosted daily intelligence briefings at Service Headquarters. The principle behind the briefings was to review the previous 24-48 hours of incident activity and identify where any trends or new hotspot areas were occurring across Merseyside.

The briefings are an opportunity for partner agencies to present findings and updates so that intelligence could be shared between relevant agencies and teams. The briefings followed the National Intelligence

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 28 of 41 Not Protected Model which provided up to date and reliable intelligence to operational staff both internal and external to the Fire and Rescue Service. Overall throughout the briefings there were over 183 different attendees from both Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and partner agencies including: Merseyside Police Silver Commander, Trading Standards, Environmental Management Teams, Community Wardens, CDRP (Crime Disorder Reduction Partnerships) members, and the FIRST Team to name a few. Following the briefing the intelligence was uploaded onto: the Merseyside Informed website, Learnpro and the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service Portal for dissemination to operational personnel.

During the 2010 Safer Merseyside Bonfire Briefings; there were subtle but important changes in format to previous years. Firstly the briefings were hosted under the auspices of the Directorates of Performance and Values as well as Community Safety with analysis again being provided by the Business Intelligence Team from Knowledge and Information Management Directorate. Minutes taken from the briefings and actions recorded were collated and disseminated through the attendees; with both being reviewed on a daily basis. At the end of the period there were 76 actions recorded with the vast majority being closed during the period.

Maps were kept to a rolling 48 hour period as this allowed maps and data to be presented in a clear format without the “background noise” generated by using cumulative mapping which was previously used, enabling trends in locations to be identified in a far more efficient manner. In addition to this a greater emphasis was placed on the Business Intelligence team to identify and analyse repeat locations throughout the period, with these locations being targeted by operational personnel (including advocates) that very day.

5.8.7 Merseyside Informed and Learnpro

The Knowledge & Information Management department have developed a secure website known as Merseyside Informed whereby statistical information and reports, such as the Safer Merseyside Bonfire Briefing information was published so that partner agencies and local authorities can access intelligence to support their individual needs.

Briefings were yet again published on “Learnpro”. Learnpro is part of Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service‟s e-Learning strategy, and allows operational crews to view the briefings at their leisure.

The briefings were also published onto the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service “Portal” Intranet site. The Portal is the Fire and Rescue Service‟s new intranet site allowing all members of staff easy access to view the briefings and associated data. X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 29 of 41 Not Protected

5.8.8 Partnership and Advocate Work / Summary of Initiatives

Prior to and during the Bonfire Period arson advocates in each district of Merseyside performed their duties in an attempt to control the number of Deliberate Secondary Fires occurring. Each advocate carried out their own activities to meet the requirements of particular problem individuals and areas within their district. This work was undertaken in partnership with other agencies.

To assist advocates working for the Threat Response Group, the Business Intelligence team created an online survey where advocates could state what kind of activities they had undertaken in a given area. This made sure there was a secure record of the type and number of activities undertaken by each advocate. Also, to assist in the targeting of areas and to identify particular trends throughout the Bonfire Period, the Threat Response Group received daily incident data identifying where and what type of incidents had occurred within the previous 24hrs.

Each individual district report will focus on the work of the associated advocate; this report will highlight some of the initiatives that were common to all districts.14

Initiatives included: School Visits – 90 schools and youth clubs were visited in identified hotspot areas, by an advocate, with either a school liaison officer or a police officer. Informal presentations were delivered to pupils covering the themes of bonfires, fireworks and general anti-social behaviour. The „Bonfire Removal Scheme‟ was publicised by the advocates to ensure other agencies working within the districts of Merseyside and the community was aware that they could ring to get potential bonfire material removed. Advocates continually scouted known areas within their districts for bonfire suitable materials, in an attempt to get it removed as quickly as possible. Advocates performed random checks on premises selling fireworks within Merseyside to ensure owners were registered and storing their firework stock in the correct manner. Vulnerable members of the public were contacted by advocates and „target hardening‟ was carried out on the premises if deemed necessary. 55 Hate Crime Risk Assessments were carried out during the 2010 bonfire period. Leafleting campaigns were predominant in areas where high levels of Deliberate Secondary Fires were common. For example

14 This is a summary of all the initiatives which were undertaken throughout the bonfire period and some of them will have been developed upon throughout the initiatives section. X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 30 of 41 Not Protected 90,000 leaflets were delivered to homes and businesses which provided general advice to home owners and a free phone bonfire clearance number. Arson reduction advocates worked with local authorities to secure void properties in a bid to reduce the number of derelict building fires and to limit materials suitable for bonfires. During the 2010 Bonfire Period, customers on internet sites such as „WikiWirral‟, „Freecycle‟ and „GumTree‟ began advertising free wood and material suitable for bonfires which could have indirectly added to the fire services workload. These individuals were identified and officers from MF&RS and partners arranged for the collection of this material, informing the person(s) responsible of the ramifications for distributing such material. Operation „Good Guy‟ was also deployed by St Helens Council with key marketing objectives such as informing the public of legislation regarding bonfires and fireworks, diversionary events, contact information and to promote the reporting of firework misuse and the build up of bonfire material. Further information regarding this initiative can be found in the St Helens 2010 Bonfire report. A number of Section 30‟s were enforced within crime hotspot areas within Knowsley and Liverpool during the 2010 bonfire period. These legislative powers allow police to disperse groups of people within these areas or face being arrested. This discouraged young people to become involved in Anti-social fire setting behaviour.

5.8.9 Corporate Communications

The 2010 media campaign was able to utilised the MF&RS website, Facebook, Twitter, Bluetooth and Astrcasting as well as more traditional approaches such as press releases in order to raise awareness with the public and act as a high profile deterrent as to the risks during the bonfire period.

5.8.10 Data Collection Tools

In order to assist Threat Response Group management and advocates, the Business Intelligence team created an online survey designed to assist with the collection of vital information that assists in targeting and deployment of Threat Response Group resources. The survey was designed to be easy to use allowing advocates to report their activities in a quick and effective manner.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 31 of 41 Not Protected 5.8.11 Operational Work

Operational crews provided a high visibility presence particularly within previously identified hotspot areas. Crews were responsible for reporting activity to clean up crews as well as monitoring tensions within their patrolling areas such as visiting and reassuring members of the community at risk, especially previous victims of hate crime. On top of this, crews also dowsed bonfires uncovered during their patrols so that they could not be ignited prior to the clean up teams‟ arrival.

Crews also distributed leaflets throughout the districts informing residents to ensure that wheelie bins are stored safely away from the road. The purpose of this exercise is a proactive approach to reduce wheelie bin fires within each district.

Fire crews in conjunction with the FIRST team visited premises selling fireworks; checking whether licenses to retail fireworks were valid and that stock was stored in a safe manner.

Phase 3 – Debrief

5.8.12 Debrief

An internal and external multi agency debrief involving all external partners was delivered following the 2010 bonfire period in order to discuss the performance of the initiatives undertaken and continuous improvement methods with the vision of making Merseyside a Safer, Stronger and Healthier Community.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 32 of 41 Not Protected 6. Conclusion

This report has provided an analysis of Deliberate Secondary Fires, Wheelie Bin Fires, Firework incidents and incidents of Violence at Work in Merseyside throughout the 2010 Bonfire Period. The report can conclude:

Merseyside wide there have been reductions in the number of Deliberate Secondary Fires when comparing 2010 to 2009. Furthermore the 724 incidents reported in 2010 make it the quietest Bonfire Period in the last 5 years. When comparing incident types, the most notable reductions have been in; Refuse Fires (-80, -16.6%). These have largely contributed to an overall reduction of 37 fires (4.9%) when comparing 2010 to 2009. Liverpool saw the greatest number of incidents with 306, followed by Wirral (157) and Knowsley (108). However when considering the number of incidents per 10,000 population, Knowsley witnessed the most with 7.2 incidents per 10,000 population, followed by Liverpool with 6.9. Three of the five districts saw a reduction in incidents when compared to 2009, Liverpool (-8), Sefton (-41) and St Helens (-1). However, Knowsley and Wirral both witnessed slight increase of 1 and 12 incidents respectively. Of the top wards for incidents, 7 were located in Liverpool. Birkenhead and Tranmere with 38 incidents was the peak ward and also saw an increase of 6 fires (18.8%) when compared to 2009. Bidston & St James and Clubmoor were second and third with 26 incidents a piece. However, each saw reductions of 15 (36.6%) and 7 (21.2%) incidents respectively. The analysis has shown a strong link between deprivation and Deliberate Secondary Fires within Merseyside. Of all incidents reported, 28.5% of them were within the top 10% most deprived areas compared to only 1.7% being reported in the top 10% most affluent areas. Finally, the report also highlights the numerous initiatives that MF&RS with partner agencies have undertaken in a bid to reduce Deliberate Secondary Fires. These include the bonfire removal scheme, the Trojan Fire engine, school visits, advocate duties such as leafleting areas; as well as using the latest intelligence via the lunchtime briefings. Merseyside wide there have been reductions in the number of Deliberate Secondary Fires when comparing 2010 to 2009. The 724 incidents reported make it the quietest Bonfire Period in 5 years.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 33 of 41 Not Protected

7. Appendices

7.1.1 Table 14: Difference in the Numbers of Deliberate Secondary Fires during the 2009 & 2010 Bonfire Periods by Station Ground

Station 2009 2010 Difference % Change 40 - Huyton 25 40 15 60.0% 11 - City Centre 10 24 14 140.0% 51 - Newton-le-Willows 9 17 8 88.9% 18 - Aintree 17 24 7 41.2% 52 - Eccleston 16 23 7 43.8% 25 - 20 25 5 25.0% 21 - 15 19 4 26.7% 10 - Kirkdale 31 34 3 9.7% 20 - Birkenhead 74 75 1 1.4% 22 - 2 3 1 50.0% 23 - Upton 30 31 1 3.3% 24 - 4 4 0 0.0% 32 - 1 1 0 0.0% 15 - Toxteth 28 27 -1 -3.6% 33 - 9 7 -2 -22.2% 12 - Low Hill 52 49 -3 -5.8% 41 - Whiston 19 16 -3 -15.8% 13 - Allerton 12 7 -5 -41.7% 17 - Belle Valle 24 18 -6 -25.0% 42 - Kirkby 50 44 -6 -12.0% 14 - Speke/Garston 35 26 -9 -25.7% 19 - Croxteth 74 65 -9 -12.2% 16 - Old Swan 61 51 -10 -16.4% 30 - & Netherton 41 28 -13 -31.7% 50 - St Helens 59 43 -16 -27.1% 31 - Crosby 43 23 -20 -46.5% Grand Total 761 724 -37 -4.9%

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 34 of 41 Not Protected

7.1.2 Lunchtime Briefing Leaflet

SAFER MERSEYSIDE BONFIRE BRIEFING Merseyside Wide Analytical & Activity Updates

Location: Fire and Rescue HQ Bridle Road, Bootle L30 4YD http://www.merseyfire.gov.uk/aspx/pages/maps/hq.aspx

Dates of briefings: 27th, 28th, 29th 30th, 31st Oct and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th Nov

Time of Briefings: 12:00hrs – 13:00hrs

Internet: Briefing and presentations will be available securely via Merseyside Informed and Learnpro. https://vwg.agma.gov.uk/sites/MI/default.aspx (Access can be granted through emailing [email protected] )

Attendees: Persons with responsibility for ASB reduction during the mischief / bonfire period including CDRP and Partnership Analysts. This is an open event to all partners throughout Merseyside.

AIMS OF BRIEFINGS

The aim of the briefing is to share information and intelligence in a way that supports efficient and effective deployment of resources for all partners. It will achieve this through the following objectives:

Identifying each organisations capabilities, operations and initiatives; Dynamic and up-to-the-minute sharing of intelligence on risk in the community; Preventing duplication and contradiction in operations;

Outcome – Proactive prevention and early intervention to reduce incidents via:

1. Early identification of hotspot locations and emerging trends 2. Robust Multi-agency action planning 3. Support and signposting to partner operations / initiatives

Safer Merseyside Bonfire Briefings will start promptly at 12.00hrs at MFRS HQ, Bridle Rd, Bootle in the following rooms:

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 35 of 41 Not Protected

IMPORTANT Occasionally the location is subject to change.

Date Location Date Location

27.10.10 Centre for Leadership Room 03.11.10 Wirral Suite

28.10.10 Centre for Leadership Room 04.11.10 Liverpool Suite

29.10.10 Centre for Leadership Room 05.11.10 Wirral Suite

30.10.10 Centre for Leadership Room 06.11.10 Centre for Leadership Room

31.10.10 Centre for Leadership Room 07.11.10 Centre for Leadership Room

01.11.10 Centre for Leadership Room 08.11.10 Wirral Suite

02.11.10 Sefton Suite

Agenda:

Welcome and Introductions 5 minutes

Apologies 1 minute

Actions from previous meeting 5 minutes

K.I.M Incident Overview from previous 24 hours 10 minutes

Threat Response Group Activity Overview 5 minutes

District Updates 10 minutes

Summary of agreed action points 5 minutes

FURTHER INFORMATION There is an opportunity for CDRP/Partnership Analysts to present relevant information about their local area at any of these events.

If you would like to present please contact John Fielding, Business Intelligence Manager, Knowledge and Information Management on the details below:

Email: [email protected] Tel: 0151 296 4411 Internet: https://vwg.agma.gov.uk/default.aspx

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 36 of 41 Not Protected

7.1.3 Bonfire Leaflet

MISCHIEF AND BONFIRE PERIOD PLEASE HELP US! During this time of year Merseyside Fire &

Rescue’s valuable resources are overstretched by attending nuisance fires such as bonfires.

We ask for your co-operation by ensuring that your children do not participate in such behaviour and that you discuss the dangers

associated with bonfires.

We also ask that you do not provide young people with bonfire materials and that you utilise

rubbish removal services as provided within your area.

We thank you for your support and wish you a safe and enjoyable bonfire period!

FOR A FREE HOME FIRE SAFETY CHECK PLEASE CALL FREE: 0800 731 5958

CONFIDENTIAL HOTLINE: 07971539599

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 37 of 41 Not Protected

7.1.4 Business Letter

F.A.O : Owner/Occupier

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service is working in partnership to reduce arson related fires in and around Industrial and Commercial properties.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order all industrial and commercial properties are required to carry out a Fire Risk Assessment. Good housekeeping is an essential part of this assessment and will lower the chances of a fire starting!

A designated individual should take responsibility for the security arrangements of the premises and perform their own risk assessment to identify potential risks and methods of controlling those risks;

The accumulation of combustible materials in and around your premises should be monitored carefully;

Waste bins are a particular problem when left unsecured. Larger items of waste are also problematic and should be disposed of responsibly;

Internal Escape routes and the fire doors must not be blocked or obstructed by any materials; and

All external combustible storage sites should be secure and emptied on a regular basis.

For more information on Arson Assessment for industrial/commercial premises, visit www.merseyfire.gov.uk or, contact the Arson Task Force on 0151 296 4607.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 38 of 41 Not Protected

7.1.5 Violence at Work Leaflet

PREVENTING AND TACKLING

ANTI- SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

Working together, Merseyside Fire and Rescue

Service and Merseyside Police aim to protect our communities from Anti-Social Behaviour.

There has recently been an attack on our Fire-

Fighters in your area, as you can appreciate this behaviour will not be tolerated. We are appealing for any information, no matter how insignificant you feel it may be, it could be very significant to us.

If you have any information please call our confidential helpline on 07971 539 599

For a Free Home Fire Safety Check call 0800 731 5958 and Quote Ref:132.

Crimestoppers:

0800 555 111 Quote Ref: TRG1

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 39 of 41 Not Protected

8. Action Plan

The action plan should be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic, Time-bound) and detail what actions are to be undertaken. Each action point should have a clear owner, and link to the IRMP. It should also clearly outline what data is to be used, monitored and reviewed and what the outcome will be. The draft action plan should be included within the report and formulated with the CLIENT of the report, the Author, as well as the Director of Knowledge and Information Management. The Director of Knowledge and Information Management will ensure that a draft copy of this action plan is sent to the Director of Strategy & Member Development and Directorate of Performance and Values for comment. It should also be agreed when a follow up report should be submitted to review whether or not the originally set outcomes/targets have been achieved.

Action Plan ACTION PLAN Link to IRMP / Service Plan What IRMP Task ref: / How does this task information/data Title of Initiative Brief description of Anticipated target for Performance support the IRMP / will be used to Task Owner Date of Review / Activity Initiative/Activity Performance Indicator: Service Plan measure this activity 1 Deliberate secondary fires Not specific to bonfire Targets set Deliberate were previously reported as NI33b National Indicator 33 Data based on period though end of Community yearly. Secondary NI33b. NI33 (total) / LPI 85 is monitored in FSEC codes from year target is: Safety, DMT, Performance Fires The indicator is no longer live LPI 85 the Service Plan on a Vision database 8568 incidents Performance published via though this is still measured regular basis Merseyside Wide & Values Service Plan and Knowsley by MF&RS and its partners. Merseyside 1352 incidents for district Informed 2 Deliberate secondary fires Not specific to bonfire Targets set Deliberate were previously reported as NI33b National Indicator 33 Data based on period though end of Community yearly. Secondary NI33b. NI33 (total) / LPI 86 is monitored in FSEC codes from year target is: Safety, DMT, Performance Fires The indicator is no longer live LPI 86 the Service Plan on a Vision database 8568 incidents Performance published via though this is still measured regular basis Merseyside Wide & Values Service Plan and Liverpool by MF&RS and its partners. Merseyside 3531 incidents for district Informed 3 Deliberate Deliberate secondary fires NI33b National Indicator 33 Data based on Not specific to bonfire Community Targets set Secondary were previously reported as NI33 (total) / LPI 87 is monitored in FSEC codes from period though end of Safety, DMT, yearly. Fires NI33b. LPI 87 the Service Plan on a Vision database year target is: Performance Performance

Not Protected

The indicator is no longer live regular basis 8568 incidents & Values published via Sefton though this is still measured Merseyside Wide Service Plan and by MF&RS and its partners. Merseyside 1108 incidents for district Informed 4 Deliberate Deliberate secondary fires NI33b National Indicator 33 Data based on Not specific to bonfire Community Targets set Secondary were previously reported as NI33 (total) / LPI 88 is monitored in FSEC codes from period though end of Safety, DMT, yearly. Fires NI33b. LPI 88 the Service Plan on a Vision database year target is: Performance Performance The indicator is no longer live regular basis 8568 incidents & Values published via St Helens though this is still measured Merseyside Wide Service Plan and by MF&RS and its partners. Merseyside 1078 incidents for district Informed 5 Deliberate Deliberate secondary fires NI33b National Indicator 33 Data based on Not specific to bonfire Community Targets set Secondary were previously reported as NI33 (total) / LPI 89 is monitored in FSEC codes from period though end of Safety, DMT, yearly. Fires NI33b. LPI 89 the Service Plan on a Vision database year target is: Performance Performance The indicator is no longer live regular basis 8568 incidents & Values published via Wirral though this is still measured Merseyside Wide Service Plan and by MF&RS and its partners. Merseyside 1500 incidents for district Informed 6 Deliberate Deliberate secondary fires NI33b National Indicator 33 Data based on Not specific to bonfire Community Targets set Secondary were previously reported as NI33 (total) / LPI 90 is monitored in FSEC codes from period though end of Safety, DMT, yearly. Fires NI33b. LPI 90 the Service Plan on a Vision database year target is: Performance Performance The indicator is no longer live regular basis 8568 incidents & Values published via Merseyside though this is still measured Merseyside Wide Service Plan by MF&RS and its partners. 7 Reporting of Incidents of Violence aimed Monitoring Monitoring purposes Information Not specific to bonfire Community Monitoring incidents of at service personnel are purposes extracted from period though there has Safety, TRG purposes Violence at gathered and analysed by the Oshens been an overall Work MF&RS system reduction of 10 incidents on 2009.

X:\Data & Projects\Projects\Bonfire Reports 2010\Bonfire reports\Merseyside\Merseyside Bonfire Report 2010 V1.2.docx Page 41 of 41