THE FIRE at Beech Down Primary School was this week used as an illustration of the devastation an arson attack can bring to a community.

The blaze's impact on pupils, staff and the local community was described as chief fire officers and Hampshire's chief constable signed a Memorandum of Understanding, pledging to work more closely to tackle the rising number of arson incidents.

From 1999 to last year, the number of non-accidental fires in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight rose by 38 per cent to almost five a day, with blazes involving property, homes, businesses, schools and vehicles.

What are termed as secondary incidents - involving derelict property, fences, abandoned vehicles or rubbish skips - accounted for more than nine further arsons a day.

At a presentation on the problem, George Helier, Hampshire's assistant county education officer, spoke of the "tears - the upset" he found on the morning after the Beech Down fire, which destroyed much of the school in November last year.

Mr Helier said both staff and pupils had been affected and added: "Pupils came around the next day and looked with horror at what had happened to their school."

He explained the blaze had also affected the local community. He said: "The perpetrators of arson don't appreciate what the effects are on their own community and the damage they do. That is something we must get across in education, starting at as early an age as possible."

Hampshire Chief Fire Officer Malcolm Eastwood, Isle of Wight Chief Fire Officer Richard Hards, and Hampshire Police Chief Constable Paul Kernaghan all signed the memorandum, and the presentation included a video of the result of arson attacks, including scenes from Beech Down.

The financial, environmental and personal costs of arson cases were described as "monumental" and the three chiefs pledged to work more closely to stamp out the crime.

Among planned initiatives are a strengthening of the young fire starters programme, where juveniles caught starting fires are shown the error of their ways.

Joint training for scenes of crime police officers and fire investigation officers is aimed at fostering a greater understanding between the services, and a unified approach to tackling the problem through shared resources and information.