The NSW Police Force announced on Monday that they have so far taken legal action against more than 180 people for more than 200 bushfire-related offences in the past two months.
A statement released on the NSW Police Force website reads: “Since Friday 8 November 2019, legal action — which ranges from cautions through to criminal charges — has been taken against 183 people — including 40 juveniles — for 205 bushfire-related offences.”
Police have taken legal action against 183 people for more than 200 bushfire-related offences since November last year.https://t.co/WzoxRigKPL
— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) January 6, 2020
Police note that 24 of those individuals have been charged over alleged deliberately-lit bushfires, 53 have had legal actions for allegedly failing to comply with a total fire ban, and 47 have had legal actions for allegedly discarding a lighted cigarette or match on land.
The NSW Police Force say they are continuing to investigate the cause, origin and overall impact of the fires, and are appealing to the community to provide “footage an/or images from phones, dashcam, or other devices, that show any of the fires in their infancy, even if only from a distance.”
The fires have so far burned more than 12 million acres and resulted in the deaths of at least 18 people. It is estimated that about 480 million animals have been killed by the blaze in NSW thus far.
