NCJ Number
235047
Date Published
May 2011
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Drawing on previous research on the incidence and etiology of knife crime, the current study uses data from Australia's National Homicide Monitoring Program (NHMP) and the National Armed Robbery Monitoring Program (NARMP), along with previously unpublished data on the use and carrying of knives, so as to develop a further understanding of and consequent responses to the issue of "knife crime."
Abstract
Data analysis shows an increase in the proportion of homicides in which a knife was used as the weapon, although the number of homicides has remained relatively stable. Regarding the proportion of robberies in which knives were used, however, this has remained approximately the same, even as the number of robberies decreased significantly. Previously unpublished data on the use and carriage of knives as reported by respondents in the Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) program for 2005-09 indicate that only a small percentage of respondents reported owning or using a knife as a weapon in the previous 12 months. The most common reason given for carrying a knife was self-defense. The limited information available on the nature, extent, cause, motivation, and possible growth of knife-carrying suggests the need for improved data collection and the assessment of what works to reduce knife-carrying and offenses in which knives are used. Such information is needed in order to develop policy responses such as knife amnesties and education campaigns, as well as legislative measures related to police stop-and-search powers and increased prison sentences when knives are used in the commission of a crime. 6 tables and 15 references