Firefighters, officers and dignitaries gathered on a damp and foggy day on Woodbury Common near Exmouth recently to launch a high profile campaign to deter arsonists. Following a steady increase in arson fires on Woodbury Common, the new initiative is designed to increase public awareness of the problem and to hopefully deter the perpetrator.
Mike White, Group Commander for Exmouth, explained: “Figures just released for August show that the increase in deliberately set fires is now nearly 400 per cent, based on the trend of the last five years. Because of this we have launched this campaign.”
Two firefighters on mountain bikes will patrol the area daily. They have been supplied with helmet mounted cameras, which could be used to supply evidence to the police and will distribute crime stopper leaflets and keep an eye out for anyone acting in a suspicious manner.
They will also stop and talk to members of the public who are in the area, explaining the dangers of fires on the common and asking them to be vigilant and to report anything suspicious. Mike White added: “It has become obvious that we have a serial arsonist operating in the area and he must be stopped. It is only a matter of time, given the popularity of Woodbury Common, before someone is seriously injured or even killed.”