Superintendent Andrew Allen said Ballarat’s high arson rate, which has sky-rocketed in the last year as offenders continue to steal, dump cars and burn them, was an ongoing concern. 

“We have had a number of reported bin fires, material rubbish fires, as we know only two nights ago there was a deliberately lit fire at the St Aloysius school,” Superintendent Allen.

“This shows people are moving around in the early hours and going to that step (of lighting a fire), for whatever reason. (It might be) giving them some kind of thrill and is just wanton destruction of school property.” 

Superintendent Allen along with CFA operations officer Anthony Pearce and Forest Fire Management Victoria district manager Jasmine Filmer, said the Crime Stoppers led community campaign was aimed at raising awareness following a spike in offences.

They have urged anyone who witnesses suspicious activity to contact police immediately. 

“This campaign is significant on the basis we know that there is an increase in arson bushfires (in the region),” Superintendent Allen said. 

He said there had been a shift in the type of bushfires – with police patrols preventing routine deliberately lit Cardigan fires from occurring. He said police had arrested a number of offenders in January who had set cars alight. Those people will face court. 

“There’s also that heightened risk of cars being set on fire in bushland areas and that has the propensity to spread to damage property, some of those locations are in difficult terrain to combat,” he said. 

“The important thing is we have been actively patrolling the areas – we have asked the community to be our eyes and ears in terms of patrols.”

Mr Pearce urged the community to abide by fire restrictions and to not put themselves and others at risks by flouting rules during the fire danger period.