Arson offences in London rise by 28% with Greenwich worst affected

Greenwich named London’s top borough for arson incidents

New data published by Legal Expert from a Freedom of Information request to the Metropolitan Police shows that Greenwich recorded the highest number of arson offences across all London boroughs between 2022 and 2024.

Arson cases across London rose by 28% during this period.

Metropolitan Police recorded 6,411 incidents, the highest figure of any force area in England.

Greenwich saw a 67% increase in arson cases over the two years.

A total of 354 incidents were reported, with 141 recorded in 2024 alone.

The West Thamesmead ward in Greenwich alone reported more arson cases than seven entire London boroughs.

Croydon was the only other borough to report more than 100 arson cases annually over the three years, with a total of 313.

Update: 19 June 2025

Following publication, the Royal Borough of Greenwich provided clarification on local arson figures, noting that the majority of incidents occurred within prison facilities and not in the wider community. A new article providing full context has been published here.

Offenders rarely charged despite increase in incidents

According to the figures published by Legal Expert, only 5% of reported arson incidents across London led to charges.

The national charge rate for arson and criminal damage cases stood at 4.4% for the year ending September 2024.

In London, the rate recorded by Metropolitan Police was 4.84%.

Across England and Wales, 58.8% of arson investigations were closed due to a lack of suspect identification.

Among the nine forces analysed by Legal Expert, 71% of arson cases ended without identifying a suspect.

Of the 1,212 arson offenders identified in London, just 310 were charged.

Males accounted for 79% of the cases where gender was recorded.

Younger offenders less common in London

The age group responsible for the largest number of arson cases in London was 30 to 39 years, with 332 incidents attributed to this demographic.

Only 173 individuals aged 20 or under were identified as arson offenders, a proportion smaller than the national average of 32% reported by Legal Expert.

Of those, 34 were charged.

Metropolitan Police data also revealed that 78 individuals had previously been held in custody under suspicion of arson.

Five of these had been arrested for the offence three times.

Few arson victims receive compensation through CICA

Legal Expert found that 464 arson victims applied to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) between 2022 and 2024.

Only 76 of these claims were successful, including 17 in 2024.

Of the unsuccessful claims, 98 were rejected on the grounds that the incident was not classified as a “crime of violence”, while 54 were dismissed because the injuries did not meet CICA’s eligibility criteria.

Another 42 claims failed due to a lack of cooperation from the applicant.

So far, £102,260 has been paid to victims, with an average award of £1,345.53.

Just £2,400 has been paid out for 2024 claims to date.

More than 190 claimants are still waiting for their outcomes.

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.”

Lamey added: “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.”

Arson offences in London rise by 28% with Greenwich worst affected: Summary

Metropolitan Police recorded 6,411 arson incidents between 2022 and 2024, the highest of any police force in England.

Data published by Legal Expert revealed that Greenwich had the most recorded cases of any London borough, with a total of 354 incidents.

West Thamesmead, a ward within Greenwich, recorded 141 cases alone.

Across London, just 5% of arson cases led to charges, aligning with a national charge rate of 4.4%.

The age group responsible for the most offences was 30 to 39 years, with men accounting for 79% of those charged.

In total, 464 victims applied for compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

Only 76 claims were successful.

As of 2024, only £2,400 has been paid out to victims of arson, with more than 190 claims still pending a decision.