Shockingly small charge rate for Greater Manchester arsonists revealed

Only 17 people in Britain secured compensation for arson-related injuries from government scheme in 2024

Just 4% of arson offences in Greater Manchester lead to a suspect being charged, according to new data.

Figures collected from Greater Manchester Police show that 3,162 arson offences were recorded over the past three years, but just 128 of them resulted in a charge or summons.

The police data also reveals that a third of all identified arson suspects were aged 18 and under, with offenders as young as just four years old being entered into police records.

Arrest rate falls short of 20%

Legal Expert approached police forces across the UK to learn how many people had faced justice for committing arson.

Greater Manchester Police spotted 1,123 offences in 2022, a figure that dropped to 1,161 in 2023 and then 878 last year.

526 people were arrested, meaning 17% of all offences ended in a detention. Fewer than a quarter of those arrests led to a charge, according to the data.

The low charge rate in Greater Manchester is not an anomaly–figures are similar around the country, such as in Essex, where more than 3,000 offences led to just two people being charged.

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 across the country were closed because the suspects were not identified.

Four out of every five people identified as an arson suspect were considered to be male in Greater Manchester Police’s records.

Concerningly, 323 potential offenders–exactly a third of the people whose age was recorded–were 18 years old or younger. That included one four-year-old from Stockport, plus eight boys and girls aged 10 or below in Manchester, Stockport, Tameside and Bolton.

High offence rate in Salford

There were 1,133 arson offences recorded across Manchester. Split into regions of the city, Manchester North was the most prolific arson location with 627 offences. There were 283 in Manchester South and another 218 in the city centre.

Salford was host to a total of 726 arson offences, at a rate one of attack every 1.5 days. Bolton followed Manchester North with 467 total offences, while Tameside and Stockport had 433 and 391 respectively.

Greater Manchester Police only noted ten arson offences from Bury, Rochdale, Wigan, Oldham and Trafford combined.

A further five arsonists set fires in and around Manchester Airport, according to police reports.

Just weeks ago, an arson offence ended in tragedy as a four-year-old girl was killed in a fire in Rusholme. A 44-year-old woman was arrested under suspicion of committing arson to endanger life.

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.

Legal Expert found that 464 arson victims 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.