2006/14: Is Victoria doing sufficient to prevent knife attacks?<BR>

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2006/14: Is Victoria doing sufficient to prevent knife attacks?

Click here to read earlier, related issue outlines:
2003: Is sufficient being done to curb youth violence?

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stabbing
knife
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What they said ...
'We see the fact that knives are in fact being the weapon of choice. It used to be more firearms, and so that's changed'
Victoria Police Commissioner, Christine Nixon

'We think it is a statistical blip, where we're seeing obviously a lot more media attention given to these knife attacks. If you look at each of them, you have to take them in their own context'
Victoria Police Commissioner, Christine Nixon

The issue at a glance
The killing of a 31-year-old woman in her Kings Park home on March 9, 2006, marked the twelfth stabbing in the state within a fortnight. Five of those stabbings resulted in fatalities. By March 12, 2006, a further five people had been assaulted with knives.
On March 8, 2006, the head of Victoria Police, Commissioner Christine Nixon, noted that the assaults and killings which had occurred up to that time were a 'statistical blip' and did not represent a major trend toward such crimes within the state.
The Commissioner's remarks met with some criticism from those who consider the issues of knife-carrying and knife-access are not being properly addressed in Victoria.
Included among these critics is Mrs Annette Jones, whose son was killed in an unprovoked knife attack on February 23, 2006. Mrs Jones has argued that knives are too readily available. She has also suggested that the number of mentally disturbed people roaming the streets of Melbourne has made a major contribution to the problem. Other commentators have also suggested that the question of knife-control and related issues needs further government attention.

Background
Victorian laws control and regulate the ownership and use of various types of weapons apart from firearms. The Control of Weapons Act 1990 (Vic) identifies three broad categories of non-firearm weapon namely:
'Prohibited weapons' - which means any of the 46 weapons listed in Schedule 2 of the Control of Weapons Regulations 2000 (Vic) and includes flick knives, daggers, knuckle knives, knuckle dusters, throwing blades, whips with metal lashes, studded or weighted gloves and stun guns;
'Controlled weapons' - which means a knife, other than a knife that is a prohibited weapon, plus the seven weapons listed in Schedule 2 of the Control of Weapons Regulations 2000 (Vic) (that is, crossbows, cattle prods, bayonets, batons or cudgels, swords, imitation firearms and spearguns); and
'Dangerous articles' - which means an article which has been adapted or modified so as to be capable of being used as a weapon; or any other article which is carried with the intention of being used as a weapon (for example, a cricket stump or bat carried in a crowded area).
In Victoria the penalties for breaching the Control of Weapons (Amendment) Act 2000 include a fine of up to $12,000 or six months' imprisonment.

Internet Information
The Control of Weapons (Amendment) Act 2000 which outlines the limitations imposed on the import, sale and use of weapons can be found at http://www.dms.dpc.vic.gov.au/domino/web_notes/LDMS/PubPDocs_Arch.nsf/5da7442d8f61e92bca256de50013d008/6d25b495d479329fca2570d9000a74e5/$FILE/541038bi1.pdf

Victoria Police weapons identification guide can be found at http://203.25.230.66/weaponsid/Content/weaponsearch.asp

On March 9, 2006, the ABC's 7.30 Report televised a report titled, 'Stabbings spark mental health questions'. The report dealt with the knive assaults and killings that had occurred in Victoria over the preceeding fortnight. The report included interviews with relatives of victims and a number of mental health authorities who discuss the adequacy of Victoria's mental health services. The full text of the program can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2006/s1588186.htm

On March 10, 2006, the ABC's Stateline program included an interview with the Chief Magistrate, Ian Gray, on the question of knife related crime in Victoria. Gray notes an apparent increase in knife-related crime and suggests a possible connection between these crimes and the desinstitutionalisation of the mentally ill. The full text of this interview can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/vic/content/2006/s1589035.htm

On March 23, 2006, The Star News group published an article focussing on the sister of one of those killed in a knife attack. The interview subject gives her views on what should be done to reduce the likelihood of such an attack occurring again.
The article titled, 'Knife' can be found at http://www.senews.com.au/story/11902

On March 21, 2006, RMIT News published a report on the recent publication of a study co-authored by Associate Professor Julian Bondy on the reasons why young people carry knives. The study is titled 'On the Edge'. The article can be found at http://131.170.40.30/browse;ID=9h7ildfbihzp

VISAR (the Victorian Injury Surveillance and Applied Research System) publishes its reports in its magazine, Hazard. The Winter 2003 edition of Hazard included a report titled, 'Assaultive cutting and piercing injury'. This is a very detailed and informative document which repays careful reading. As well as discussing trends in Victoria in knife use it also discusses the effectiveness of various measures applied in otherb countries to limit such crime.
The report can be found at http://www.monash.edu.au/muarc/VISU/hazard/haz55.pdf
It begins on page 14 of the 20-page magazine. It is a pdf document which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Arguments suggesting that Victoria is not doing sufficient to prevent knife attacks
1. There has been a recent spate of knife attacks in Victoria
In the two and a half weeks between February 23 and March 12, 2006, there were 17 stabbings in Victoria, five of which ended in the deaths of those attacked. If stabbing deaths from the end of January are included in the tally, the fatalities figure rises to nine.
The use of knives in assaults has been rising in Victoria over a number of years. In the year 2001 to 2002 the number of assaults involving a weapon, primarily knives, rose by 37 percent. Victoria Police Commissioner, Christine Nixon, has noted that with a reduction in the use of firearms, the use of knives is now increasing. On March 8, 2006, she observed, 'We see the fact that knives are in fact being the weapon of choice. It used to be more firearms, and so that's changed.'
Victoria Police statistics reveal there were 39 homicides involving knives in 2004-05 compared with 29 knife homicides in 2003-04.

2. Knives are Australia's most common murder weapon
Australia-wide, knives are the weapons most likely to be used in an assault or the commission of another crime.
The Australian Bureau of Statistic figures indicate that in 2004, a weapon was most likely to have been used in attempted murder (73%) and murder (59%). A knife was the most common type of weapon used and was involved in 32% of attempted murders, 28% of murders, 18% of robberies and 6% of kidnappings/abductions. A firearm was involved in 23% of attempted murders, 13% of murders, 5% of robberies and 2% of kidnappings/abductions. These trends are consistent across the country and are reflective of the situation in Victoria, though it has been noted that though the overall incidence of crimes in which knives were used has declined, the incidence of murders in which knives were used has actually risen.

3. Knives are too easily acquired in Victoria
It has been suggested that despite the Weapons Control Act, knives are still too easily acquired in Victoria.
Mrs Angela Jones, a former youth worker, and the mother of Darren Jones, who recently died in an unprovoked knife attack on a suburban train, has claimed, 'I think it's terrible having them for sale in specialised knife shops where they are glorified as weapons, as something for young ones to brag about, to be proud of owning.'
The Age, in an editorial published on March 7, 2006, stated, 'In Victoria the penalties for breaching the Control of Weapons (Amendment) Act 2000 include a fine of up to $12,000 or six months' imprisonment. Flick knives, daggers, crossbows and many others are prohibited, but anybody who wants to do harm with a knife only has to go as far as the kitchen drawer.'
A group of doctors working in emergency wards in Briatin have recently called for a ban on the sale of long domestic knives. They have claimed, 'Many assaults are committed impulsively and prompted by alcohol and other drugs, and a kitchen knife makes an all too available weapon in such circumstances.' They have argued that long pointed kitchen knives are not needed in a domestic kitchen, yet are the type of knife that can cause serious organ injury. Shorter knives generally only cause more superficial wounds.
Thus, both in Victoria and overseas it has been argued that the relatively ready availability of knives plays a major part in the commission of offences involving these weapons.

4. Deinstitutionalisation of the mentally ill has increased the risk of knife attacks
In a 7.30 Report treatment of the recent Victorian stabbings, televised on April 9, 2006, reporter, Mary Gearin, noted, 'A couple of the cases reveal a common element. Lawyers for the man accused of murdering 30-year-old Ben Rootes told the court their client needed a mental health assessment. And when a 23-year-old man appeared charged with Darren Jones's murder, his lawyer also said her client had mental health and drug issues but had not recently received treatment. The facts will be thrashed out in court but no matter what the outcome, the incidents have raised questions about the mental health system.'
Darren Jones father has claimed, 'Well, I don't think there is any mental health system. They're just patching it up, they're not putting anything into it.' Both of Darren Jones parents have suggested that inadequate provision for the mentally ill contributed to their son's death and has increased the risk of knife attacks in Victoria.
Darren Jones' mother, Mrs Angela Jones, a former youth worker, has indicated she believes there are too many mentally ill people roaming the streets because the system has failed them. 'They're out there unmedicated and (are) a danger to innocent people, especially on the trains,' Mrs Jones has stated.
Professor Patrick McGorry, who manages Australia's only mental health centre specifically for 15 to 25-year-olds has stated that more mentally ill people may soon be out on our streets not receiving the care they need because the push to deinstitutionalise patients was never resourced well enough to work.
Federal Health Minister, Tony Abbott, has stated, 'What the Federal Government has to do is to try to ensure that there are better services in the community for psychiatric patients and what the State Government has to do is try to ensure that there are better acute psychiatric services in hospitals, and better residential care for people with very serious psychiatric problems.'

5. Public transport is not sufficiently secure
One of the recent fatal knife attacks occurred while the victim was travelling on a train and was attacked without provocation by a young man with a history of mental illness. Some critics have argued that incidents such as this are liable to occur because public transport in not secure.
Mrs Angela Jones, a former youth worker and the mother of one of the five people recently killed in a knife attack, has indicated her concern about the inadequate security offered on Victorian trains. 'I know they have video surveillance that can film what happens on trains but it can't stop what happens,' Mrs Jones has complained.
Darren Jones sister, Corinne Jones, has joined her mother is raising concerns about the safety of Victoria's public transport system. Ms Jones has stated, 'There is no one on the train to make you feel safe. There needs to be a bigger police presence and more security people,' she said.

6. The Victorian Government needs to conduct a public awareness campaign on the dangers of carrying knives
Many of those concerned about the current spate of knife attacks have argued that legislation alone will not solve the problem. They have argued that knives are increasingly being arried be Victorian youths and are seen as a necessary item of male self-defence. In such a situation an increase in knife attacks is all but inevitable. Dr Julian Bondy, a criminal justice expert at RMIT University, has pointed out that more men are carrying knives for protection because they feel vulnerable and insecure.
The Age, in an editorial published on March 7, 2006, has stated, 'This is the foul reality. In such an environment it is imperative that the State Government lead a public awareness campaign on the dangers of carrying knives. There needs to be broader education in schools and sporting and cultural organisations. If knife culture, and not inadequate legislation, is the problem, then better education is the answer.'

Arguments suggesting that Victoria is doing sufficient to prevent knife attacks
1. The recent knife attacks in Victoria have been an anomaly
The Victoria Police Commissioner, Ms Nixon, has maintained that the recent spate of knife attacks was a 'statistical blip', and violent incidents involving knives had actually fallen over the past 12 months, according to police statistics.
Ms Nixon has stated, 'We think it is a statistical blip, where we're seeing obviously a lot more media attention given to these knife attacks. If you look at each of them, you have to take them in their own context.'
On March 8, Ms Nixon stated, 'It just seems over the last few days that there's been an amazing number (of knife attacks), but overall what we are seeing is a decline.'
Though the number of fatalities caused by knives increased in 2004-2005 compared to 2003-2004, Victoria Police statistics show there were only 1922 crimes committed by offenders using knives in 2004-05 compared to 2337 in 2003-04. These most recent figures would appear broadly to support the Police Commissioner's claims.

2. Victorian has comprehensive legislation re the carrying of knives
Victorian laws control and regulate the ownership and use of various types of weapons apart from firearms. The Control of Weapons Act 1990 (Vic) identifies three broad categories of non-firearm weapon namely:
'Prohibited weapons' - which means any of the 46 weapons listed in Schedule 2 of the Control of Weapons Regulations 2000 (Vic) and includes flick knives, daggers, knuckle knives, knuckle dusters, throwing blades, whips with metal lashes, studded or weighted gloves and stun guns;
'Controlled weapons' - which means a knife, other than a knife that is a prohibited weapon, plus the seven weapons listed in Schedule 2 of the Control of Weapons Regulations 2000 (Vic) (that is, crossbows, cattle prods, bayonets, batons or cudgels, swords, imitation firearms and spearguns); and
'Dangerous articles' - which means an article which has been adapted or modified so as to be capable of being used as a weapon; or any other article which is carried with the intention of being used as a weapon (for example, a cricket stump or bat carried in a crowded area).
In Victoria the penalties for breaching the Control of Weapons (Amendment) Act 2000 include a fine of up to $12,000 or six months' imprisonment.

3. Victoria Police and the Victorian Government have taken action to limit the carrying of knives
Victoria Police has taken a variety of measures to ensure that as many people as possible obey the law prohibiting the carrying of knives. The Victoria Police Commissioner, Ms Christine Nixon, has claimed that police were working to convince people not to carry knives. The police have been part of a number of public relations campaigns in recent years to reduce knife carrying. Ms Nixon has also noted that the police are vigorously enforcing the laws that allow knives to be confiscated using the 400 metal detectors are available to police.
In 2002, in response to the gradual escalation of weapons usage in assault offences and the carrying of non-firearm weapons by young people, the Victorian government has implemented a Weapons Community Education Campaign. Further in 2000 and 2004 the government amended the Weapons Control Act strengthening the laws against weapons carrying involving the use of a knife.

4. It is not possible to stop people misusing knives apparently acquired for domestic use
It has been claimed that there are practical limits as to how far the law can go in terms of reducing community access to knives. Knives are a multipurpose tool within our community, it has been argued, and it is simply not feasible to restrict them in such a way that they can never come into the hands of someone who might misuse them.
A former Melbourne criminal barrister, who is now a judge, has now said that there is a common saying within the legal profession : 'The Staysharp is a barrister's best friend. It keeps us in work. Most people who get stabbed, it's done with a knife out of the chopping block. It's not these great monsters, the Crocodile Dundee type, you can't conceal them. My experience is that most people are stabbed with knives less than six or seven inches long out of the kitchen drawer.'
On May 29, 2005, The British Medical Journal published a letter from Gary B. Carpenter, Physician and retired Colonel, US Army Medical Corps. Mr Carpenter wrote, 'People ... will use whatever is readily available as a weapon. In prisons forks and butter knives can be easily transformed into a shiv. A dull knife with a rounded point can be easily transformed back into a sharp pointed weapon with just a bit of elbow grease and a stone or sidewalk. The Japanese banned weapons in Okinawa years ago so the populace transformed common farm implements into lethal weapons such as the scythe. The solution to crime is to focus on the criminal and not on the weapon.'
Associate Professor Ken Polk from the University of Melbourne's criminology department has argued, 'People reach for what's available. This is especially true for domestic killings. People have been using knives in domestics for a long, long time and houses have lots of knives. So I don't see much possibility through weapon control of reducing those.'

5. Numerous measures have been taken to promote the safety of public transport users
It has been claimed that though users of Victoria's public transport system face some risk of attack, any risk is no greater than that which is faced in other public areas. It has further been claimed that the transport operators are doing all that they reasonably can to ensure passenger safety.
Train operator Connex has stressed the measures it has taken to promote passenger security. These measures include installing safety features such as emergency assistance buttons at stations and on trains, closed circuit television systems, safety zones at stations and employing more staff to be on call late at night.
A spokesperson for Connex, Mr Andrew Cassidy, has stated, 'The rail network is no more dangerous than any other public place. Our rail network is used by more than 200,000 people a day, and, like any busy public location, incidents of vandalism, crime and anti-social behaviour will occur.'

6. The media have exaggerated the incidence and nature of knife attacks
It has been argued that the media adopt an exaggerated and alarmist response to knife attacks, suggesting they occur more frequently than is the case and that they reflect an increasingly aggressive and violent youth subculture. These misperceptions have been challenged by a number of experts who have closely studied knife use.
Julian Bondy, a youth researcher and Associate Professor at RMIT's University, who has recently co-authored a book, 'On the Edge' examining knife use among young people, has claimed, 'Media coverage of incidents involving young people and weapons gives the deep impression that society has much to fear from an increasing threat of youth violence.
There is a general perception in the community that more young people are arming themselves with weapons such as knives and syringes to commit crimes of violence and improve their images among their peers. However, this is not supported by the evidence ...'

Further implications
It seems unlikely that further legislative changes will be put in place to make Victoria's weapons legislations more rigorous. This was last done as recently as 2000.
In response to the gradual escalation of weapons usage in assault offences and the carrying of non-firearm weapons by young people, the Victorian government has implemented a Weapons Community
Education Campaign in concert with these tougher laws on weapons carrying (Crime Prevention Victoria, 2002).
The community education campaign aims to discourage young people from carrying non-firearm weapons utilising a public relations and advertising campaign. Focus group research found that young people responded more positively to emotive rather than rational arguments on weapons carrying. The campaign 'platform' is focussed, therefore, on the risk of being ostracised by peers for carrying weapons and the repercussions on their family, especially the effect on their mother, if they were involved in a serious weapons incident.
Glasgow Police began an initiative to curb knife carrying and tackle violent assaults in February 1993. The initiative was titled Operation Blade. Police crime figures for 1993 indicated a reduction of 33% in the level of crimes of violence committed involving the use of a knife in comparison to 1992. By comparison, Glasgow hospital ED data indicated no significant difference in the number of patients presenting with penetrating injuries or the total number of assaults in the month before the start of Operation Blade (January 1993) and 12 months later (January 1994).
Hospital records did indicate, however, that Operation Blade successfully reduced the number of serious stabbing cases for a period of 10 months, but, in the subsequent two years, numbers surpassed those prevailing before its implementation.
Thus it would appear that any police and/or public awareness campaigns designed to reduce assaults using knives need to be, if not on-going, than at least conducted on a very regular basis.

Newspaper sources used in the compilation of this outline
The Age
AGE, March 8, page 9, news item by S Milovanovic, 'Police arrest man over double knife killing'.
AGE, March 7, page 16, editorial, 'Macho culture leads to knife culture'.
AGE, March 7, page 8, news item by Berry and Petrie, 'Armed and dangerous - it's yours for $39.95'.
AGE, March 12, page 16, editorial, 'When are there too many blades for a blip, commissioner?'.
AGE, March 12, page 7, news item by M Russell, 'Knives "too easy" to buy, says stab muso's mum'.
AGE, March 11, page 3, analysis by Tippet and Petrie, 'Meet a Melbourne teenager: he's 18, he plays basketball and he carries this ...'.
AGE, March 10, page 6, news item (with list of recent stabbings) by S Milovanovic, 'Man in custody after mother-of-three stabbed to death'.
AGE, March 6, page 5, news item by J Berry, 'Curse of the blade: police hunt attackers'.

The Herald-Sun
H/SUN, March 9, page 20, editorial, 'Deepest cuts'.
H/SUN, March 9, page 3, news item by M Buttler, 'Knife disgrace'.
H/SUN, March 8, page 3, news item by P O'Neil, 'Arrest on stab deaths'.
H/SUN, March 7, page 15, news item, 'Up to speed in stab hunt'.
H/SUN, March 6, page 5, news items by M Buttler et al, 'Speed cam kill clue / Sharp end of weapon business'
H/SUN, March 6, page 20, editorial, 'Knife fight'.
H/SUN, March 13, page 21, comment by Les Twentyman, 'Stabbed and scared'.
H/SUN, March 10, page 9, news item by Lloyd-McDonald and Packham, 'Mum fatally stabbed'.

The Australian
AUST, March 18, page 13, news item by Hunt and Gardiner, 'Judges urge sword reform'.

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