Arson Incidents in Devon and Cornwall Decline Over Five Years

Police data indicates a reduction in arson incidents reported across Devon and Cornwall during the last five-year period. These figures were obtained by the BBC through a Freedom of Information (FoI) request submitted to Devon and Cornwall Police, seeking details on arson rates for the two counties. The combined total of reported arson incidents within these counties decreased from 293 to 182 between the years 2019 and 2024. Devon and Cornwall Police chose not to provide a comment. The data revealed a 38% decrease over the five-year span. Nevertheless, the actual reduction is anticipated to exceed 40%, as the statistics for both 2019 and 2024 represent only portions of those respective years. In Cornwall, 92 arson incidents were recorded after April 1, 2019, contrasting with 52 incidents reported up to the conclusion of October 2024. During this identical timeframe, Devon experienced a decline in arson incidents from 201 to 130. The statistics indicated a decrease in the number of arson incidents in four of the last five years, with a minor increase observed between 2021 and 2022 being the sole exception.