2.1 Some 30% of the forces which responded to the survey said that one or more officers were or had been deployed to form part of a joint fire brigade/police fire investigation unit. It seems probable, however, that such arrangements are more often likely to be on an ad-hoc basis as fires occur rather than as part of a permanent joint fire investigation unit.

2.2 Half of those police forces with joint fire brigade/police fire investigation units confirmed that they had also allocated one or more officers to liaise on a regular basis with fire brigades on local arson committees. These committees also featured in an additional 16% of police forces. The Bureau, therefore, estimates that more than 50% of police forces in the United Kingdom do not at present have any formal arrangements for continuing liaison with fire brigades in the case of fires of doubtful origin. Many, however, had instigated alternative procedures ranging from joint investigation of suspicious fires to Scene of Crime Officers giving lectures to trainee firefighters.