THOUSANDS of arsonists evaded arrest in Essex as data from its police force reveals that only two people out of more than 3,000 potential offenders faced charges.
Legal Expert approached police forces across the UK to learn how many people had faced justice for committing arson.
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Essex Police had the joint-lowest arrest rate in the country, while the pair of arson charges issued against offenders make up a minuscule 0.06% of the total offences.
High offence figures not reflected in outcomes
Essex posted one of the highest arson offence tallies in the country, according to police figures, with 3,212 offences recorded between January 2022 and December 2024.
1,345 arson offences were noted in 2022. That includes 571 deliberate fires, a rate of about one every four hours, recorded from June to August that year.
Offence rates fell to 889 in 2023 before rising to 978 last year.
Concerningly, only 260 of the offences have led to suspects being arrested, meaning the arrest rate is just 8%.
Essex Police shared the outcome of 201 cases–199 were not charged, leaving just two to face an arson charge.
The police service noted that 112 people who were arrested in the past three years were later re-arrested for the same offence.
Broken down by district, Basildon was the scene of the most arson offences. The area was struck 492 times, putting it ahead of Thurrock (483). However, it was Thurrock that was affected most in 2024, with Essex Police investigating 184 attacks compared to Basildon’s 152.
The Tendring district, including Clacton-on-Sea, saw 364 arson attacks. It is followed in the list by Colchester (313) and Southend-on-Sea (256).
There were more than 200 arson offences recorded in Harlow (236) and Chelmsford (210).
Only two areas of Essex–Brentwood and Maldon–witnessed fewer than 100 arson attacks across the three years.
Essex Police identified 483 people suspected of arson, including 383 men and 100 women, with ages ranging from just five to 79 years old–yet only two of the 483 have faced a formal charge.
Home Office statistics released in January indicate that just 4.4% of criminal damage and arson offenders were charged or summonsed in the year ending September 2024, a small increase on the 4.1% that faced charges in the 12 months before.
The figures show that 58.8% of investigations were closed because no suspect was identified, while the victim did not support action in another 18.2% of cases.
Legal Expert collected data from nine police forces, not including Essex Police, which suggested that a whopping 71% of offenders across the past three years got away without being identified.
Arson victims mostly disappointed in search for compensation
The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is a government-supported agency which compensates injured victims or families of those killed in violent crimes.
The agency’s definition of violent crime includes arson, an offence which Essex Police says caused injuries to seven victims between 2022 and 2024.
Legal Expert found that 464 people sought a payment through the agency’s compensation scheme across the three years. However, only 76 received a payment, with just 17 successful claims made in 2024.
The CICA rejected 98 claims after deeming the incident not to be a “crime of violence”. Another 54 were told their injuries were not applicable under the agency’s strict compensation tariff, while 42 people’s claims collapsed because they “did not take reasonable steps to assist the CICA”.
Those successful received a total of £102,260, working out at £1,345.53 per claim on average. Just £2,400 has been paid out so far for the 79 claims launched in 2024.
Less than 60% of claims have been resolved, leaving 194 people waiting to learn their fate.
Legal Expert criminal injury specialist Ellie Lamey said: “It’s incredible that so few people have made a claim when thousands and thousands of arson offences have affected lives around the country. With charge rates also being low, victims might be wondering how to get some form of justice.
“Victims who have sustained injuries, whether physical or psychological, due to violent crimes like arson have the right to seek compensation, and they don’t have to wait for someone to be charged or convicted of the offence to do so.
“As long as the crime is reported to the police and they cooperate with an investigation, victims can explore their chances of compensation through the CICA.
“We’ve helped many people who didn’t realise just how much they could receive by claiming with the support of an expert.”
Legal Expert is a 24/7 service which provides detailed guidance on criminal injury compensation claims, including CICA applications.
Through free consultations offered online and over the phone, it connects claimants with experienced criminal law experts.
The post Essex’s shocking charge rate for arsonists revealed by new data appeared first on Your Thurrock.