This lunchtime we were in the garden just setting up the BBQ when I heard a group of boys behind the fence at the bottom of the garden talking about lighting a fire:
"Bring it over here...."
"Put some tissue under it...."
"Light it, light it, go on light it etc."
I grabbed DH and told him we needed to go and check it out. We have woodland on the other side of the fence with a path running through the woods. I ran down the path and came across 3 boys (14-16 y/o) on bikes coming out of the woods on the other side of the path. I confronted them and told them that I had heard them trying to start a fire and lectured them on how dangerous it is, that my DC were playing the other side of the fence etc. I also told them that if they had set a fire the other side of the path (i.e. where they had just come from) they should go and put it out. The said there was no fire there and I told them to get lost and next time I would call the police. The rode off and at that exact moment there was a huge explosion and trees and my neighbours fence went up in flames.
I could hear my DC screaming from the other side of the fence (our cleaner was in the house, they were not alone) so I ran back to get them whilst also calling the fire brigade. DH grabbed the garden hose and from over the fence kept the fire at bay until the fire brigade arrived. Our fence was undamaged but a big part of the neighbours fence was destroyed and our trampoline has some holes in it where the embers must had landed.
When I dialled 999 I asked for the fire brigade as getting the fire put out was the clear priority. However I told the fire controller that the fire had been started deliberately and that I had seen the culprits and could identify them. The fire controller said she would let the police know.
The fire engine arrived in minutes but there was no sign of the police. When I called 30 mins later they told me that I had waited too long after the incident to call them, that the call would not be treated as priority and that the police would be over in 'a couple of hours'.
When the police finally arrived they stayed lest than 5 minutes after establishing that it was the neighbour's fence that was burnt and therefore deeming the neighbour as the 'victim'.
Had I not heard the boys and confronted them the fire would not have been spotted until it had taken hold and set our fence alight, Two houses plus a whole swathe of woodland could have caught fire.
AIBU think that the police should be treating this a serious criminal act and made some attempt to identify the culprits from CCTV, take statements etc.