NCJ Number
193381
Date Published
2001
Length
54 pages
Annotation
This article provides a situational analysis of armed robbery in Australia.
Abstract
While robbery-murder is a relatively infrequent occurrence in Australia, armed robbery accounted for the fourth most common offense committed against a person in 1999. The overall rate of robbery and armed robbery has increased dramatically in recent years. This dramatic increase appears to have been driven by an increase in the use of “other weapons” to commit armed robbery. The use of firearms appears to have declined over this period, raising the possibility that firearms were being substituted by other types of weapons in the commission of armed robbery. A total of 16, 235 records were analyzed to see if firearms were being substituted by other types of weapons in armed robberies. Results showed that there were no differences in the type of weapon used by an offender of armed robbery based on the type of victim selected. Persons and organizations were equally vulnerable to the same types of weapons. Knives were used most often to commit armed robbery. However, a firearm was more frequently used when the target was a bank, credit union, or building society. There were no differences in the type of weapon used according to gender and age of offenders. Further research is required to address the growing concern of the use of “other weapons” in armed robbery, and how new policy initiatives can impact on the reduction of the use of “other weapons” to achieve an overall reduction in the rate of armed robbery. 10 figures, 4 tables, 30 references, appendix