Some 34% of arson suspects identified by English and Welsh police forces were teenagers or younger – with one as young as four years old, the research finds.
“A significantly concerning trend was the sheer number of children and young people the police considered to be arson suspects,” said criminal injury law specialists Legal Expert, adding that in some areas, as many as 60% of all known suspects were under 18-years-old.
“To date, there has not been a prominent nationwide review of why arson attacks specifically are so often being carried out by children and young people,” continued the company.
The findings come from responses from 36 police forces to requests under the Freedom of Information Act, which identified 3,884 young people aged under 20, between January 2022 and December 2024.
This only accounts for the suspects who forces could track and put an age to – around 70% of investigations ended without a suspect even being identified, according to the company.
Over all, fewer than 5% of suspects faced charges over the period.
In a summary of recent arson attacks in which children are implicated, the company refers to a large moorland blaze, the torching of a derelict nightclub on a busy street and a family trapped inside their home.
Northumbria Police had the largest tally of young arson suspects – 429 aged up to 20, with 296 of them aged 15 or under and one aged ‘five and under’.
Young people made up 40% of the region’s arson suspects, with boys aged 11 to 15 alone accounting for a quarter of all suspects.
The trend was even more stark for Gwent Police in southeast Wales, where the force found that 342 under-18s were suspected, making up 60% of all suspects whose ages were recorded.
Kent Police said 331 possible arsonists were 18 or under, while four seven-year-olds featured in West Midlands Police’s 328-strong list of under-18s.
The Metropolitan Police provided details of arrested individuals rather than suspects but found that a relatively small percentage (14%) were under the age of 20.
While dealing with a much lower number of cases, Wiltshire Police and North Yorkshire Police also had a disturbing proportion of underage arson suspects, at 58% and 54% respectively.
South Yorkshire Police shelved 10 potential prosecutions because the offender was aged under 10, the legal age of criminal responsibility.
The youngest confirmed suspects according to the research were: A four-year-old (Greater Manchester Police), one aged five or under (Northumbria Police), a five-year-old (Essex Police), four seven-year-olds (West Midlands Police), one seven-year-old (Dorset Police), three aged under nine (Avon & Somerset Police), three nine-year-olds (Kent Police)
Prosecutions closed because the offender was below the age of criminal responsibility included 10 in South Yorkshire, eight in Gwent, six each in Avon & Somerset and West Yorkshire, four each in Warwickshire and Sussex, two in South Wales and one each in Kent and Dorset.
In an online FAQ, “Why do children set fires?”, London Fire Brigade, which estimates that one in every four London fires is started by a young person, suggests: “Children and young people start to play with fire for various reasons, ranging from natural curiosity in toddlers to older children using firesetting to express feelings of anger or emotional distress.
“Without help and guidance, this 'firesetting behaviour' can increase and lead to more serious consequences – serious personal injury and damage to homes, schools and property.”
The Youth Endowment Fund’s 2024 ‘Children, violence and vulnerability’ survey asked young people why they committed violent crimes.
Factors like self-defence and revenge were prominent, while 17% committed crimes “as part of a gang, neighbourhood or school rivalry".
Another 9% said they were pressured into it, while 8% agreed with the statement, “I find it hard to control my behaviour”.
Some 6% admitted to committing a crime to “show off”, while 5% – including 22 children aged 13 who said they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
