6 January 2008

Firebug hits Mt. Ainslie

| johnboy
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Residents of the Inner North were treated to a pyrotechnic show on Mt Ainslie last night as the firebug repeatedly lit fires on the slopes overlooking Canberra while firefighters (and one assumes police) stood at the top.

Now Mt Ainslie is a big place and as a teenager I played wide games (Scouts thing) against RMC cadets up there. I can tell you that even with, literally, an army, it doesn’t take much skill to slip unseen where you want to go and get out again. (albeit lighting a fire does definitively give away your position)

But to keep going back, over and over again, shows a really weird kind of crazy-brave. It’s going to be very interesting to see what the next trick is.

On the bright side it can only be a very short matter of time before the nutter is caught at this rate.

UPDATED: Spectra has sent in a pic from a fire on Mt Rogers last night, possibly started by the same busy miscreant.

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VYBerlinaV8_now with_added_grunt12:49 pm 22 Jan 07

Whip them hard, make them call the supervisors ‘baas’.

chain gangs all the way 🙂

seepi – community service can also include work crews, not just being placed with community organisations.
You show up at symonston at around 8am, and spend all day out doing yard work, supervised by corrective services, for elderly, and people in need of assistance.
Much more beneficial, imo, than, for instance, racking clothes at the salvo stores. For both the person, and the community.

Mount Roger? Hmmmm, didn’t notice it myself, but then I am halfway down the hill.

Community service work is tricky cos who wants to supervise lazy rebellious crooks at their workplace – it is worse than work experience kids and they get less done, while stopping someone else from doing any work either.

OK, let’s make it weekend detention where you have to work to a certain standard to be fed.

Someone tell the firebug he’s hitting the wrong places. He should try doing the flats along Northbourne Avenue. It’d make the place look nicer and perhaps save us taxpayers some money in dole cheques.

This is awful. What kind of person does this?

I notice the ABC’s geography department are at it again, this time relocating Mt Rogers to Tuggeranong. Seriously, how do these people find their way to work?

On the bright side she’s reducing the fuel load on the hill – cant be a bad thing can it?

Should have napalmed the place. That way, the firebug/psychotic crackhead gets it, and the threat of more fires is removed too.

myrmecia – tracking bracelet sounds like a good idea. Community service work is tricky cos who wants to supervise lazy rebellious crooks at their workplace – it is worse than work experience kids and they get less done, while stopping someone else from doing any work either.
Confiscating the car is good, but banning them from driving would probably just lead to more unlicensed driving.

I noticed a lot of flashing blues and reds from on top of Mt Majura last night, assumed it was a military excercise.

ahh yes heard a few sirens around 930-ish
didn’t really think much of it
was more worried they were going to wake up my brother

The night before some crazy or possibly psychotic crackhead was calling out all night from the foothills of Mt Ainslie…wonder if it was the same guy…

…and the nearby residents from their homes.

Surely the AFP could borrow a chopper with an IR camera to spot the bastard(s) hidng in the bushland. Otherwise maybe some tear gas to flush him out…

it’s very hard to be a recidivist when you’re still behind bars.

I suspect a part of these long sentences is more for the safety of the community as much as retribution/rehabilitation.

J Dawg: I can indeed confirm this – I have some very nice photos to prove it (a few of which I forwarded to Johnboy). It started around 9 or 10 and attracted about 6 fire trucks plus various ancillary utes and police.

I believe the 15 years is available now due to new legislation. This sort thing can cost lives and millions of dollars in damage. A message has to be sent. I agree GPS tracking bracelet would be good

Would 15 years gaol be a bit over the top. I am not convinced by the logic of exemplary sentences; you are punishing one person for what others might do. If you want to discourage the repeated commission of offences, you need to affect offenders in a way that has an impact. How about an all-of-government approach to include some of the following: confiscate their car and other prized possessions, ban them from owning firearms, ban them from driving for a period, require them to undetake meaningful community service to a high standard, print their photo in the press, restrict their travels severely during the next few fire seasons using a GPS location device.

Gaol costs too much.

I noticed a lot of flashing blues and reds from on top of Mt Majura last night, assumed it was a military excercise.

A fire last night (Saturday), that is.

I heard there was also a fire on Mt Rogers. Can anyone confirm this?

And one would hope he gets 15 years gaol. Which would go some way to discourage other lunatics from doing the same.

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