LONDON - eTradeWire -- A study by criminal injury law specialists Legal Expert has found that fewer than one in 20 arson offenders end up facing charges.

Legal Expert received data from 36 UK police forces, with the forces saying that they recorded a collective 65,053 arson offences between January 2022 and December 2024. The data suggested that arson incidents went down 20% over the three-year period.

21 forces confirmed arrest figures, as Legal Expert found that 16% of cases led to an arrest. However, just 4.83% resulted in the offender facing an arson charge.

Crime outcomes shared by 12 forces showed that 69% of investigations were tagged 'Investigation complete - no suspect identified'.

Met Police recorded 6,411 arson attacks across Greater London. West Midlands Police had the second-highest number of cases (4,089) and divided its results by ward, finding that Birmingham's Sparkbrook, Washwood Heath and Lozells & East Handsworth neighbourhoods were the leading locations of arson attacks.

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In a deeply concerning trend, young people and children as young as four were monitored as arson suspects by UK police forces.

30 forces showed Legal Expert a breakdown of suspects by age and gender. The data revealed that 34% of offenders are in the youngest age brackets, which in most cases meant they were under 18 years old.

Numerous police forces had no choice but to drop prosecutions because an arsonist had not yet reached ten years old, the legal age of criminal responsibility.

The fact that 80% of arson suspects were men is also worrying, but less surprising when government figures indicate that men are six times more likely to be arrested than women.

Legal Expert found that 464 arson victims sought a payment through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), a government-supported agency, between 2022 and 2024. However, only 76 received a payment.

Less than 60% of claims have been resolved, leaving 194 people waiting to learn their fate.

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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.

"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 (https://www.legalexpert.co.uk/criminal-injury-compensation/) is a 24/7 service which provides detailed guidance on criminal injury compensation claims, including CICA applications.