A POLICE officer claims a lack of information sharing has been partly responsible for the slow advances in arson investigation over the years.

Detective Constable Graham Thompson, a member of the Teesside's three-man Arson Investigation Unit, hopes a high-level conference next month will be a step towards improving the situation.

He has organised the summit, which 200 delegates are expected to attend.

"We have a wide range of speakers who will look at perspectives from the US and Europe, as well as recent advances made in this country,'' he said.

"The speakers are all experts in their particular fields, selected because of the invaluable contribution they can make to fire investigations and training issues in the fight against arson."

Speakers will include a forensic psychologist looking at new profiling perspectives from the US, a senior fire investigator with the Forensic Science Service, a Home Office pathologist examining pathology as an aid to investigating fire-related deaths, and a leading fingerprint expert, who will reveal new ways of lifting prints at fire scenes.

The day long conference entitled The Arson Epidemic, is being held at Middlesbrough Football Club, on November 20.