Investigations into arson: On the trail of the Salzburg pyromaniacs
The fires in Salzburg are currently piling up. In March there were suspected arson attacks in Schallmoos and Lehn, garbage can fires are increasing and it was not until July 17th that there was a violent fire at the main train station, which Mann assumes was arson.
SALZBURG. Due to the increasing fires in Salzburg in recent months, the Salzburg regional media spoke to the police about arsonists and police investigations into the fire.
Fire detection principles
According to a police spokeswoman, when it comes to fire crimes, you always have to first check whether it was caused intentionally or negligently or whether the cause was caused outside of both of these forms of guilt, such as a technical cause or force majeure. In contrast to other forms of crime, where the criminal facts are clear from the outset (e.g. robbery, theft and murder), when investigating an arson, the question arises for the officers investigating whether there is a criminal offense under criminal law at all.
In order to answer this question unequivocally, the cause of the fire must be investigated and the question of who is at fault clarified.
If the cause of the fire cannot be determined with certainty, the public prosecutor’s office appoints sworn experts to clarify the cause of the fire at the request of the criminal police.
arson investigations
When it comes to arson investigations, according to the police, there are clear differences compared to other crimes, for example with regard to the procedure and difficulty of the investigation. As already mentioned, the investigation into the cause of the fire and the question of fault are two different things. However, if the investigations conducted have revealed a “brand establishment”, then the investigations are no different from normal conduct of criminal investigations, apart from the difference that mostly the fire and the extinguishing work destroys a significant part of the traces. With extensive and difficult crime scene work, however, traces can always be secured, which lead to the investigation of the perpetrators.
Perpetrator profile of an arsonist
According to the Salzburg police, the perpetrator profile of an arsonist is described in criminology as follows: Arsonists are usually male, very rarely female. They often have a criminal record, but mostly not relevant. Arsonists often commit fake crimes because they want to be victims rather than perpetrators. For the most part, they live through a troubled youth, often with no connection to their father. They are often insecure people who seek approval and are occasional drinkers.
Another exciting aspect is that arsonists are very often the ones who discover the fire themselves. In connection with their passion, it is not uncommon for them to be members of the well-known fire brigade. There is often overzealousness to be the first on the scene.
This is how you can help
As with all other crimes, the police are very grateful for every tip and every observation of the population. Observations, which are often of little relevance to the public, can also help investigators to investigate the fire incident. It is therefore very important to inform the police of any observation.
In relation to
However, it is also important to see the damage caused by arsonists in relation to other causes of fire. If you look at the major damage statistics from the Salzburg State Office for Fire Prevention for 2021, you quickly realize that arson accounts for only a small proportion of the fires that occur.
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