Part of 2. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children – in the Senedd at 2:47 pm on 8 March 2017.
Obviously, arson is an extremely serious offence. I want to pay tribute to the fire services who turned out so promptly at a deliberate arson attack on a vehicle in Llanedeyrn on 15 January, because, without that, there would have been serious loss of life. But I also want to pay tribute to the Cardiff youth services and their work with the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service to ensure that young people who deliberately set fire to things are really aware of the potential dangers. They’re not targeting anybody in particular; they think it’s just a recreational activity. So, the Phoenix project, the young firefighters scheme and the fire setting intervention scheme seem to me to be three things that really do help young people understand that setting fire to anything is a very dangerous activity, and something to absolutely be avoided.