Australia) Knives ‘popular’ with thieves
Get rid of guns and criminals find another TOOL to use on unarmed victims. Blaming inanimate objects/TOOLS will NOT reduce crime!
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Australia) Knives ‘popular’ with thieves Knives ‘popular’ with thieves
From AAP
21jan02
KNIVES are replacing guns as the weapon of choice for armed robbers, according to a new report.
The Australian Institute of Criminology said while most people continued to be most concerned about the use of firearms by bandits, the nature of armed robberies in Australia was quickly changing.
“The use of firearms in the commission of armed robberies has declined,” the AIC said.
“At the same time there has been a dramatic increase in the use of other weapons, particularly knives.”
The AIC said the use of guns in robberies had almost halved between 1993 and 1999.
In contrast, knives and other weapons were used in over 70 per cent of robberies in 1999, up from around 55 per cent six years previously.
The number of robberies involving weapons remained relatively stable at 41.9 per cent, despite a brief decline in 1994 and 1995.
Overall, retail outlets remained the targets of choice for bandits, the AIC said.
Improvements to bank security saw a decline in bank robberies, while service station hold-ups increased by around five per cent to account for one-fifth of all robberies.
The AIC said the victims of armed robbery were usually young, with people aged from 15 to 19 the most likely to be affected, closely followed by 20 to 24-year-olds.
