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Police clamp down on young Cambridge arsonists

action news | 06.10.2011 12:32 | Policing | Social Struggles | Terror War | Cambridge

An outbreak of wheelie bin fires in Cambridge has led to young arsonists facing action from police.

[from the press scum...]

Police have been targeting the firestarters who have been operating in the Arbury, King’s Hedges and Chesterton areas.

Residents at a meeting of the city council’s north area committee set tackling the danger as a priority in April.

Since then, five young people have been cautioned for arson and nine were sent to Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Fire Setters Engagement Scheme. Two young girls will be dealt with through the ‘fire setters’ scheme at their school.

In one incident in March this year a hooded cyclist set fire to a bin near the front door of an end-terrace home in Apollo Way, King’s Hedges.

Janet Filby, a mother-of-two who lives in the street, said: “My bin was in my shed and it was totally melted and stuck to the ground. You can still see the marks. I have moved my bins next to my front door because I keep my bikes in the shed now. It is a worry if someone sets it on fire.”

Sgt Jason Wragg’s neighbourhood policing team have been targeting the arsonists.

He told the News: “This behaviour causes a great deal of disquiet within the community. What often starts as attention-seeking clearly threatens to end in tragedy.”

A report by Sgt Wragg for the north area committee said officers had visited the parents of several other youngsters linked with the fires.

He said the number of fires has “reduced significantly however they do continue”.

A fire service spokesman said: “While there is no excuse for arson, homeowners can help to reduce the temptation for potential arsonists by keeping bins and flammable rubbish out of sight and secure if possible.”

The service has been called to seven deliberate wheelie bin fires in the north Cambridge area since May and two loose rubbish fires.

The streets affected included High Street, East Chesterton, Campkin Road and Arbury Road in King’s Hedges, and Cherry Hinton Road.

Last year, the service visited 35 young people in Cambridgeshire under the ‘fire setters’ scheme.

Sgt Wragg has also reported an outbreak of deliberate fires along the A14 embankment in Fen Road that destroyed property on farms and sent smoke billowing across the road.

[SPREAD THE FIRES / ARM YOUR DESIRES / SMASH SOCIAL PASSIVITY]

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Comments

Hide the following 4 comments

What the fuck!?

06.10.2011 13:04

How is this 'action' in any sense something that we would want to celebrate? 'smash passivity'? This is just bored kids burning stuff. An analysis of why these kids are so alienated they feel it appropriate to terrorise their own community would be productive, but blindly celebrating ordinary people having their ameneties trashed is dumb beyond comprehension.

Yet another reason why I HATE insurrectionists and their total lack of analysis or ability to accuratley place events in a sensible context.

To clarify, I'm not expressing any anger at the arsonists, I think their actions are explained by alienation etc etc. I'm pissed off at people who try and dress this up as some glorious strike againt the system.

Town End Boy


Re: What the fuck!

06.10.2011 15:42

Sure mate. But I think the "insurrectionist" as a term doesn't imply that all insurrectionists try to dress any destruction as revolutionary act.
Having said that, I think this kind of behavior stems from the fact, that this suffocating social peace create desperate isolation, and not only for the kids who perhaps start fires just for fun, but for those who wish to engage in a face-to-face battle with the social order. Anything, that just remotely looking as extra-ordinary incident, could easily excites some radicals. Same thing happens when somebody starts to shout "revolution" when he sees some hundreds camping in symbolical places. Unfortunately, reacting became the bread and butter for many comrades these times...

Shelter of Crime


lost all faith in humanity

06.10.2011 19:35

Thats a Guardian-reading hand-wringing cappuccino-slurping response if I ever heard of one.

>> Sure mate. But I think the "insurrectionist" as a term doesn't imply that all insurrectionists try to dress any destruction as revolutionary act.

They are burning people's bins because they are knob heads. They probably don't even know what the word "insurrectionist" means apart from it sounds like a Star Trek movie.

>> Having said that, I think this kind of behavior stems from the fact, that this suffocating social peace create desperate isolation, and not only for the kids who perhaps start fires just for fun, but for those who wish to engage in a face-to-face battle with the social order.

If they got somekind of problem, they shouldn't take it out on their neighbours by trying to burn their house down. "face-to-face"? Its not face-to-face is it.

>> Anything, that just remotely looking as extra-ordinary incident, could easily excites some radicals.

Dont care how excited they get. They don't have any moral or legal right to burn my bin and thus damage where i live and put my life at risk.

>> Same thing happens when somebody starts to shout "revolution" when he sees some hundreds camping in symbolical places. Unfortunately, reacting became the bread and butter for many comrades these times...

Don't care. Its not my problem - it is theirs. I can't control their behaviour or be responsible for it. I'll burn their bike and say "its not my fault, im being a radical, insurrectionist comrade."
See what kind of response I'll get.
Unfortunately, reacting became the bread and butter for many police these times...




anon


agree with town end boy

07.10.2011 23:32

And again, just like the august riots, some alienated kids start smashing anything they can find and the insurrectionists start proudly trumpeting the revolution. It's not funny or cool or good, this is shit for both the people whose stuff is getting burnt and the kids who will suffer permanent records and further state repression as a result. I'm sure all those rioters locked up for the next few years would appreciate you calling what they did 'an action' or 'anarchist'. It's like socialist worker trying to hijack every demo they can find for their own cause. Is that what we do now? Play socialist worker to estate kids?

x2