Two boys charged by police in connection with a blaze in Inverness are being investigated by the children’s reporter
It has been confirmed that two 12-year-olds are being investigated over a fire in a derelict Inverness building on the evening of March 11.
The exact cause of the fire is still not known but shortly after the incident in Thornbush Road a police spokesman confirmed that the 12-year-olds, who cannot be identified because of their ages, had been charged in connection with wilful fire-raising and officers had submitted their report to the children’s reporter.
A spokeswoman from the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration said she could not provide any information about individual children or young people in the Children’s Hearings System.
However she said when a reporter received a referral – either from the police, social workers or schools – a thorough investigation of the child’s background was carried out.
She added: “Every child is dealt with on an individual basis, and the reporter’s decision will depend on the circumstances of the referral and the evidence/information available, the child’s background, taking into account their family circumstances and any previous behaviour or offences.
“For offence referrals, the Children’s Hearings System operates on the same evidential basis as the criminal justice system, beyond reasonable doubt, and there are cases where there is insufficient evidence to proceed further.
“A child or young person will only be referred to a children’s hearing if the reporter believes there is a need for compulsory measures of supervision – to either protect the child or address their behaviour.”
Compulsory Supervision Orders are the most common form of compulsory supervision made by children’s hearings and it is the statutory responsibility of local authorities to implement such orders.
The owner of the derelict building, which was gutted as a result of the blaze, has been ordered to make the property secure by Highland Council, which has also served a dangerous building notice – although it is not yet clear whether it will need to be demolished.
A total of 31 firefighters were needed to tackle the blaze, with four crews from Inverness and two from Dingwall, and no-one was injured.
