In Victoria, the number of hospitalisations from knife attacks has almost tripled since 2019, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Queensland Police have reported a 21 per cent increase in 10 to 21-year-olds carrying bladed weapons.
“The increase in knife crime, particularly, and young people taking knives to school has become a much bigger issue than it was when we started,” said Tracie Alborough, a youth worker at YSAS. “We've had a number of young people that we've first seen because they've been a victim of usually armed robbery.
The recent police recorded crime figures published by the ONS showed a 21% increase in the number of knife and offensive weapon offences recorded from 37,706 in year ending September 2021 to 45,639 in year ending September 2022.
The ONS said the recent increase was driven by an 18% rise in the number of male victims, from 184 to 218, in the 12 months to March 2022. The largest volume increase was for teenage boys aged 16 to 17, rising from 10 homicides to 24.
The number of people killed with a knife in England and Wales in 2021/22 was the highest on record for 76 years. T he pandemic making teenagers “more vulnerable” has led to a disproportionate increase in the killing of young people by knives, a charity said.
The latest up-to-date ABS crime figures show Australia is getting safer over time. In 2020-21, the Australian police department prosecuted 359,975 criminals, a considerable decline from the previous year's 413,025 prosecutions (by 4%).
WHY DO YOUNG PEOPLE CARRY KNIVES? Young people explained in some detail why they carried knives. Many reported that knives were viewed as an easily available form of protection. They also talked about how carrying a knife had become a 'norm' in their community and was something they did because all of their peers did.
Over the five years to December 2022, recorded incidents of two of the 13 major offences categories showed a significant upward trend, nine showed a downward trend and two were stable. The two offences trending upwards over the past five years were: Domestic violence-related assault (up 3.0% per year on average)
Ensure that any knife-crime campaigns or education is evidence-based and involves young people in their development in order to be credible and effective. Focus interventions on tackling the underlying causes of violence, fear and insecurity.
Overall, the national homicide rate has dropped steadily from a rate of 1.88 per 100,000 people in 1992-93 to 0.82 in 2020-21 – a decrease of 55% over nearly 30 years. When it comes to the type of homicides occurring in Australia, domestic killings were the most common in 2020-21, accounting for about 36% of incidents.
Carrying a knife or gun increases your risk of being injured. It also increases the risk of the people around you being injured, and can cause great distress and upset to your family.
The second most common weapon used in the commission of a homicide in the USA are knives. On average more than 1,500 people are murdered with a knife each year in the USA.
Identity crime has become one of the most common and fastest growing crimes in Australia. Each year around five percent of the adult population, or about 900,000 people, report being a victim of identity crime resulting in a financial loss.
One of the most prevalent crimes in Australia is sexual assault, with the largest proportion of victims being female.
Northern Territory is the top region by homicide rate in Australia. As of 2022, homicide rate in Northern Territory was 8.9 per 100,000 population. The top 5 regions also includes Queensland, Tasmania, Western Australia, and New South Wales. The description is composed by our digital data assistant.
Canberra – Australia's Capital City
Nestled between Sydney and Melbourne, Canberra is not only the capital but also Australia's safest city. With a low crime rate and a small-town vibe, Canberra offers an attractive blend of city living and peaceful suburban life.
Unhappily, the report concludes that Australian rates of crime are in some respects very high compared with most other comparable countries. Australia is ranked third highest of the fourteen countries in terms of overall victimisation, behind the other two non-European countries, the USA and Canada.
In 2021, number of homicides for Australia was 193. Though Australia number of homicides fluctuated substantially in recent years, it tended to decrease through 2002 - 2021 period ending at 193 in 2021.
A third of patients with gunshot wounds (33.0 percent) died compared with 7.7 percent of patients with stab wounds.
Carrying a knife makes it easier to cut tape, cut string, cut trailing threads on clothing, open boxes, open clamshell packaging, cut/strip wires, prepare food like fruits and vegetables, open mail/envelopes, open food packaging, cut paper when scissors are absent, cut zip ties, cut tubing, remove tags from new ...
Report anyone you know who carries a knife illegally. It has been found that people aged between 15-19 are the most likely group to be in possession of knifes. Those carrying a knife may not have the intentions to kill someone but that's the reality of what could happen.
A good general age range for supervised knife use is somewhere between 5 and 7 years old. Buy a first time knife, explain how to properly use a knife, and only let them use the knife while you are instructing and watching carefully.