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Issue: Rural Crime in (one region)

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An announcement by New South Wales Police to create Rural Crime Prevention Teams across regional parts of the state is being welcomed, with hopes the specialised units will prevent crimes from happening in the first place.

The new teams will work throughout northern, southern, and central NSW and will be overseen by the state's Rural Crime Coordinator.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said the structure would see new positions specialising in the area and would bolster efforts to prevent rural crime.

"The new detective inspector's position, along with seven other coordinators across NSW, will bolster our rural crime response to 42 officers," Commissioner Fuller said.

"But this will be the first time it puts a detective inspector in charge of the rural crime problem in NSW and with intelligence, the ability [not only] to solve crimes but prevent them."

Reported stock theft in NSW

January-May 2016

1,104 cattle reported stolen - $1,060,944 based on average market price

10,443 sheep reported stolen - $762,339 based on average market price

January-May 2017

1,717 cattle reported stolen - $1,866,379 based on average market price

8,095 sheep stolen - $825,690 based on average market price

(Source: NSW Police)
Incidents of stock theft

In the year to March 2016 there were 518 incidents of stock theft

In the year to March 2017 there were 479 incidents of stock theft

(Source: Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research)
The model aims to renew focus on community engagement and stem the rates of stock theft, trespass, and illegal hunting.

Figures from NSW Police show that from January to May this year, 1,717 cattle were reported stolen with an estimated worth of more than $1.8 million.

Mudgee cattle farmer Hugh Bateman had $50,000 worth of machinery, including a slasher, a quad bike, tools and seven guns stolen several years ago.

He welcomed the announcement of the new teams and said the focus on crime prevention would help combat a growing problem.

"Police in our towns and rural communities are trained to do specific tasks and when you have this sort of thing happening, you probably do need a specialist team," Mr Bateman said.

"I think it's fantastic. Setting up a specialist squad or specialist team to combat this sort of theft is a great idea."

The teams will be coordinated by three detective sergeants and a detective inspector who will focus on investigation and prevention.

Deputy Commissioner Regional NSW Field Operations, Gary Worboys, said the new approach would be statewide and would see analysis, information, and intelligence shared across the regions.

"The new structure, for the first time, sees senior police officers in charge of clusters," he said.

"Detective inspector [and] detective sergeants at the top of the state, in the bottom, and in the centre part of the state [with] four new investigators to compliment the 34 that we already have.

"The team structure is not just about investigation but also about community engagement [and] also about rural crime prevention."

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NSW Police to form Rural Crime Prevention Teams

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An announcement by NSW Police to create Rural Crime Prevention Teams across regional parts of the state is being welcomed, with hopes the specialised unit will prevent crimes from happening in the first place.

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Issue: Illegal Tobacco.
Can't find anything, confident in your abilities? This is a national crime but there is a lot of information out there for the courageous. Put your name in the Comments to secure it. (1 person only)

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Police are reporting illegal "pop-up" shops appearing virtually overnight in regional areas, with queues out the door as smokers line up for cheap cigarettes.

Certainly when I recently entered a milk bar in search of a frozen Jubbly, the dishevelled chap in front of me asked the equally dishevelled chap behind the counter for a single cigarette. Dishevelled man 2 sheepishly opened the drawer in front of him to produce the required gasper, which was placed in the nicotine-stained hand of dishevelled man 1.

The figures are staggering. Border Force have created Tobacco Strike Teams that have in the last 12 months seized 96 million illegally imported cigarettes from one organised crime group. In two years from 2015 they have seized 400 tonnes of tobacco that would have evaded excise of $294 million. In the last financial year, the total was around 180 million fags weighing 174 tonnes.

For that is what crooks do: Seek the maximum profit from their illegal activity.

With Australian smokers the highest taxed in the world, we have become the most lucrative spot for illicit cigarettes.

The illegally imported cigarettes usually end up at tobacconists and corner shops and are only produced when a consumer asks for the "cheapest available". They are usually sold at $12 to $14 a packet - and since the federal excise on a legitimate packet is around $16, it is a fair bet they are smuggled darts.

The price of the local product has created its own crime wave, with gangs of young offenders targeting stores that supply cigarettes. We are not talking about kids pinching a packet of Craven "A" from the milk bar counter, but organised and international rackets that can net tens of thousands in one night.

In 2016-17, there were 190 cigarette-related armed robberies and more than 450 commercial burglaries targeting the product. When you consider the crooks can sell a stolen packet for $10 a pop, no questions asked, you can see the profit margin is immense.

A specialist gang, consisting of three to six offenders but occasionally as many as 10, can steal around $15,000 of cigarettes inside a minute - indeed, when police raided one crew they recovered 1600 packets stolen in a series of robberies.

In the raids each crook has a role, such as forcing the door, locating the stash, isolating staff and customers and loading the product - and with some retail outlets holding up to 1000 packets, it is a lucrative and sophisticated business.

"Some [gangs] run like a military operation - and they rarely make a mistake," says one investigator.

There are reports of the gangs ignoring the more carefully secured cash and going for cigarettes, as the packets are easier to grab when you need to make a quick getaway. Plus they are as good as cash on the black market.

Police say bikie and Middle Eastern crime gangs are the biggest influences behind the rackets, with some of the stolen product sold back to small retailers or sent interstate. But the tobacconists and corner shops that buy the product through the back door risk having the front one smashed in, as they leave themselves at risk of being robbed for their stock. Or as one investigator says: "Today's buyer is tomorrow's victim."

Increasingly the gangs are targeting smaller country regions within 100 kilometres of the CBD, where the crooks know there are no night police patrols. Having found a soft target, they return like wolves to a flock of sheep to pick off another one.

In one case, a gang hit three supermarkets in one night, getting away with stock valued at $200,000.

Police found that a team hit three shops from the Mornington Peninsula to the northern suburbs within hours. To make the targets, police later proved they had driven at an average speed of 155 km/h between jobs.

This is how a typical gang works: Connected via mobile phones they will text to meet - then commit one or more home invasions to steal cars before moving on to a series of retail targets that include supermarkets, convenience stores and service stations.

If the outlet is staffed, the gang will use weapons such as knives and hammers to subdue staff and customers. If it is unoccupied, the biggest members will use sledgehammers to force their way in.

Sometimes they will lever open a door, then use the smallest member to slip in and trip the electronic opening device. (One was found by police trapped in the store, unable to open the two sets of exit doors.)

In recent times police have run three operations against "Up In Smoke" gangs (every good crime story requires a partially bogus nickname) and have discovered many of the offenders are in their teens, with the youngest aged 16.

In one case they arrested two offenders responsible for a series of robberies, including one where a victim was hit with a hammer when the crooks stole 1300 packets. The second involved a gang of five and the third a crew of four who stole 15,000 packets and $10,000 cash.

And here is where the law of unintended consequences kicks in.

The laws on plain packaging of cigarettes - designed to strip the addictive product of any advertising gloss - have made it difficult for police to link recovered stolen packets to the source of the robbery, as the packs don't have identifiable registration numbers.

There are two certainties in crime. Where there is a demand, organised crime will find a supply, and police alone cannot stop a lucrative crime trend.

Take bank armed robberies - we used to have one every working day, stick-up crews regularly escaping with six-figure hauls.

The introduction of timer safes, CCTV, direct alarms and cash dye bombs rendered the crime redundant - leaving the crooks the choice of retiring, moving into drug trafficking or, even worse, becoming part-time true crime authors.

And this is where Detective Sergeant Scott Dwyer from the Eastern Region Crime Squad has come to our notice. Having successfully investigated a spate of the armed robberies, Scott realised he needed to help the retailers protect themselves from further attacks. In cop-speak it is called "target-hardening".

Working with supermarket chains and late-night convenience stores, Dwyer introduced training programs, recommended stock reductions to make the robberies less lucrative and doors that were harder to smash in. He also worked on defensive strategies, including strongrooms where staff and customers could hide and emergency exits through which they could flee.

The result? There has been a slowdown on the rate of robberies and the four key gangs have been smashed. So successful has Dwyer's "target-hardening" been that the strategy has been rolled out to other major convenience stores and late-night fast food outlets. It is likely jewellery shops will also jump on board.

Dwyer has now trained more than 100 sergeants and senior sergeants around Victoria in the defensive programs that may slow a crime wave to a manageable ripple.

And the "Up In Smoke" gangs? Most of their members are now inhabitants of a strictly tobacco-free zone - they call it prison.

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Are cigarettes the underworld's Bitcoin?

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There are two certainties in crime. Where there is a demand, organised crime will find a supply, and police alone cannot stop a lucrative crime trend.

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Issue: Ice Epidemic Queensland.
This is a tough topic but there it's topical and there's a lot of publicly available information. Put your name in the Comments to secure it. (one person only)

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In numbers

6.3% - Australians aged 14 years and over have used meth/amphetamines in their life

1.4% - Australians aged 14 years and over have used meth/amphetamines in the previous 12 months

57.3% - Of these people, 57.3% report crystal or ice as the main form of the drug used

Queensland's worsening ice epidemic is heaping pressure on the state's child safety department, with more than one-third of kids taken into care coming from parents addicted to the drug.

Ice use among parents of children in care grew 5.5 per cent during the June quarter, according to state government figures released on Friday.

Ice use has exacerbated pressure on the child safety system, according to the minister.

More than half of those parents have children aged under five, the figures show.

In the state' southeast, 99 children who came to the attention of Child Safety Minister Shannon Fentiman had at least one parent who had used the drug.

"Children whose parents used ice were more likely than other children who came into care to have a parent with a criminal history, have a parent with a mental illness, have experienced domestic violence in the past year and be homeless," Ms Fentiman said.

Drug and alcohol problems are present in more than two-thirds of households where children had been or were at risk of being significantly harmed, which has increased throughout the past five years, the report said.

The June quarter data reveals 1300 more concerns for children's safety were lodged by family, friends and neighbours and 2000 additional reports had come from school staff, compared with figures from the same period in 2016.

Ms Fentiman said even though ice use was increasing, the hiring of 129 child safety officers was having a positive impact in the state's southeast.

"We are seeing 90 per cent of our most urgent cases within 24 hours," she said.

But the opposition says despite more than $1 billion being spent on the system, vulnerable children were still at risk of being further harmed with a "record" 1509 carers leaving in the past year.

"Over 60 per cent, or 12,829, investigations into suspect abuse did not start within the required time frames," LNP child safety spokeswoman Ros Bates said.

Ms Fentiman said 1921 children were in care in southeast Queensland.
AAP

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Ice epidemic puts Queensland child protection system under strain

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Queensland's worsening ice epidemic is heaping pressure on the state's child safety department, with more than one-third of kids taken into care coming from parents addicted to the drug.

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Issue: Gangs in Melbourne.
Senior command seem conflicted about the use of the term "gang" and discussing ethnicity. Federal politicians have become involved and the media say the problem is out of control. But is it? Put your name in the comments to secure this topic. (1 person only

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Victorian police have conceded Melbourne has a problem with African street gangs, after earlier insisting there were no gangs in the city, as the State Government rejects criticism it has dropped the ball on the problem.

Police Minister Lisa Neville on Tuesday defended the Government's handling of youth crime after the Federal Government on Monday said "African gang crime" was out of control in Melbourne because of lenient state policies.

The issue has become a priority for both major parties after a series of recent headline-grabbing crimes blamed on groups of young African men, including the trashing of an Airbnb property in Werribee, vandalism in Tarneit and a night of violence at St Kilda Beach involving dozens of youths.

Just days after Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Andrew Crisp said he did "not accept for a minute that we do have gangs", Acting Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said there were African street gangs in Melbourne.

"We have for a significant period of time said that there is an issue with overrepresentation by African youth in serious and violent offending as well as public disorder issues," Acting Commissioner Patton said.

"These young thugs, these young criminals, they're not an organised crime group like a Middle Eastern organised crime group or an outlaw motorcycle gang. But they're behaving like street gangs, so let's call them that - that's what they are."

More frontline police

Ms Neville said most African migrants were law-abiding citizens, but "this core group of African youths are causing huge fear".

She said Victoria Police noticed youth offending "go to a new level" in 2016, and the State Government responded by:

adding resources to the gangs squad and special operations group

recruiting 3,135 additional frontline police

funding an intelligence system, bulletproof vehicles and other technology and resources.

"These resource are having an impact," Ms Neville said.

"We have seen substantial breaking up of a number of the networked youth offenders in other parts of the state.

"We've seen the biggest decrease in the crime rate in over a decade."

Ms Neville said upcoming changes to the Youth Parole Board meant police would be informed when young people were paroled, and conditions would be placed on parolees to prevent reoffending.

A program that started in November was also targeting repeat offenders with intensive, individual case management, she said.

'Out of control'

On Monday, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the Government was concerned about "growing gang violence and lawlessness" in Melbourne, and frontbencher Greg Hunt said "African gang crime in some areas in particular is clearly out of control".

With a state election less than a year away, the federal Coalition is pushing the merits of its Victorian counterparts' law-and-order policy, including a pledge to introduce mandatory sentencing for repeat offenders behind crimes such as home invasions, armed robberies and aggravated car-jackings.

South Sudanese Australian Nelly Yoa, who said he mentored troubled young people in the community, is also critical of the State Government.

"The punishments are not harsh enough. The Victorian Government has been so lenient on youth offending," he told ABC News.

"We need to start from a grassroots level. Community engagement with these youths is paramount."

Sudanese community leader Richard Dengsaid the Prime Minister should be more supportive of the State Government's efforts.

"[The] African community shouldn't be used as a political tool to win [an] election," he said.

Ahmed Hassan, the director of an organisation that helps marginalised young people, said the proportion of African youths involved in crime was a small minority.

"We seemingly don't have an African gang problem - what we do have is young people who are disadvantaged, who are disengaged, a young cohort who are coming together that are causing this mischievous activity," said Mr Hassan, who runs the Youth Activating Youth program.

Shadow attorney-general John Pesutto said the Government should drop Youth Control Orders - a sentencing option requiring young offenders to take part in education or work and comply with conditions such as curfews.

"Now is not the time to be introducing measures from Daniel Andrews that will make it easier ... for violent offenders to remain out on the street," he said.

Stats shed light on problem

Data from Victoria's Crime Statistics Agency, below, shows an overrepresentation of Sudanese-born and Kenyan-born offenders in some crime categories, proportional to their Victorian populations.

They also show a sharp rise in Sudanese-born offenders involved in armed robberies, from 20 in the 2014-15 financial year to 98 two years later.

However, the statistics also show that a Victorian is more than 25 times more likely to be seriously assaulted by someone born in Australia or New Zealand than someone born in Sudan or Kenya.

They are almost five times more likely to be the victim of an aggravated burglary committed by an Australian or New Zealand-born offender, than one born in Sudan or Kenya.

According to Census figures, people born in Sudan make up about 0.1 per cent of Victoria's population. The Kenyan-born population in Victoria is about the half the size of the Sudanese-born population.

Serious assault

Aggravated burglary

Non-aggravated burglary

Motor vehicle theft

Sexual offences
Source: Crime Statistics Agency (Victoria)

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Police admit Melbourne has African gang problem amid political stoush

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Police concede Melbourne has a problem with African street gangs, after earlier denying their existence, as the State Government acknowledges "huge fear" in the community and outlines plans to tackle the problem.

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Mick Meredith

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"THEY might be kids, but they're proper bad."

A police officer has given a description of a group of teens to the Daily Telegraph who, after allegedly partially chopping off a man's thumb with a sword, were charged over an alleged armed robbery spree across Sydney which also involved a shortened firearm and a machete.

Police say two boys, aged 17 and 15, were arrested during a vehicle stop on Friday night following an armed robbery at a convenience store in Lane Cove, in Sydney's north.

The boys were arrested just 20 minutes after robbery.

In dramatic scenes, bloodied and handcuffed, they were arrested in Drummoyne, in Sydney's inner west, after 9pm by the same police squad that breaks up bikie riots, reports the Telegraph.

The boys, along with a third teenager, are allegedly responsible for four armed robberies, according to NSW Police, and demanded cigarettes and cash while armed and dangerous.

They are also accused of stealing a red Toyota Prius during an armed carjacking.

According to a statement from NSW police, the spree began after New Year's Day when three males entered a service station at Kings Langley and threatened a male attendant with a shortened firearm and a sword; demanding cash.

"During the incident, the attendant was allegedly struck with the sword, which partially severed his thumb," the statement read.

The next day they targeted another service station, this time in Toongabbie, 30 kilometres west of the CBD, "armed with a shortened firearm and a bladed weapon, who demanded cash".

Then, on January 8, they threatened an attendant with a shortened firearm and a bladed weapon at a service station at North Ryde, demanding cash.

"In each incident, the group allegedly stole cash and other goods before running from the store," NSW Police said.

Two of the teens ran into police on Friday after the robbery in Lane Cove when they "threatened the 59-year-old owner with a shortened firearm and a machete, and demanded cash," police said.

Witnesses reported seeing the males fleeing from the scene in a red Toyota Prius.

The robbery involved only two of the three teens.

"Just after 9pm (Friday 16 February 2018), officers from the Tactical Operations Unit arrested two teenage boys during a vehicle stop on St George Crescent, Drummoyne," a statement from NSP Police said.

"During a search of the vehicle, strike force investigators located a firearm, three bladed-weapons, including a machete and a sword; cash, and items believed to be stolen."

The boys were treated by paramedics for minor injuries and taken to hospital for observation, with the 17-year-old since discharged and refused bail to appear in a children's court on Saturday.

The 15-year-old remains in hospital under police guard.

Their charges include robbery armed with an offensive weapon causing wounding.

Investigations into the armed robberies are continuing, and further arrests are expected.

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"THEY might be kids, but they're proper bad."

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Kaylene Clayton

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Rampaging juveniles played it up for 9NEWS cameras as their raucous joy riding was being captured.

"They've got no respect for anyone else around," resident Karen Barnes told 9NEWS. "They're a dangerous to themselves and others."

"There's a fine line between having fun and being dangerous."

However, the "tinny rats" aren't as invincible as they would like to think.

When 9NEWS was filming, one of them appeared to have broken his motor.

The boat then started taking on water and was eventually towed back to shore.

The speed limit along the section of canal where 9NEWS filmed is currently six knots.

But locals say that isn't enough and are calling for a police crackdown to restore their calm.

Queensland Police agree that there is a problem and fear it is only a matter of time before someone is more dangerously hurt.

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'Tinny rat' hoons riding riot in waterways - 9News

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Residents on the Gold Coast's canals are fed up with self-confessed "tinny rats" hooning through waterways.

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Issue: domestic violence in low socioeconomic areas in Sydney

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A man accused of fatally bashing and stabbing his pregnant partner at their home in Sydney's west does not deny he caused her death but says he was "mentally ill" at the time, a court has heard.

Joshua Scott Homann allegedly stabbed 37-year-old Kirralee Paepaerei, his de facto partner of two years, almost 50 times in the neck and chest late on September 21, 2015, in the bedroom of the Mount Druitt home they shared.

Kirralee Paepaerei was pregnant when she was stabbed to death in September 2015.

He then fled their two-storey townhouse by jumping out of a window and drove to the nearby police station, where he claimed he had been attacked during a home invasion.

Two young relatives of Ms Paepaerei, who had been in the home and heard the sound of glass smashing, went upstairs and called triple zero after they found the body of the mother-of-four.

At the opening of Mr Homann's murder trial on Wednesday, Crown prosecutor Sean Hughes said a heavily breathing and stuttering Mr Homann walked into Mount Druitt police station six minutes after fleeing the house, wearing no shirt and no shoes.

Officers inside the station noticed a small amount of blood on his head before Mr Hughes said Mr Homann leaned over the front counter and shouted: "We need to get someone to Chester Street, someone broke into my house and tried to stab me."

Joshua Scott Homann has been charged with his partner's murder.

Mr Homann then said his partner was home, the trial heard, and said, "We need to make sure she's OK."

Officers said they would get an ambulance to the house, asking what happened.

"Someone came into my house and tried to kill me," Mr Homann told police, according to Mr Hughes. "I jumped out the window and drove straight here."

Mr Hughes told the jury of nine men and three women the claim of driving straight to the police station was "a lie", because later tests by police found the distance could be covered in two minutes if a driver was moving at the speed limit and had stopped for a red light.

"If indeed that was true, if someone had broken in, he would have driven straight there," Mr Hughes said.

"The evidence suggests he couldn't have. Claims to the police at that time, of the intruder in the home, were false and a lie.

"There was no such intruder. The deceased died at the hand of the accused, and the accused alone."

An ambulance was called at 12.06am on September 22, arriving at the home on Chester Street a short time later.

Paramedics were unable to revive Ms Paepaerei or save her unborn child.

Mr Hughes said a bloodied 15-centimetre knife was found on the mattress in the bedroom along with a metal rod. Both implements were covered in the blood of Ms Paepaerei and Mr Homann.

He said blood was also on the walls of the bedroom, showing the "sustained" nature of the attack. Some of the blood was diluted, suggesting someone had tried to wash it away.

The court heard Ms Paepaerei suffered "extensive blunt force injuries" to her face and abdomen, 28 incision or stab wounds on her neck, and 21 stab wounds to her chest.

DNA testing performed at an autopsy showed Mr Homann was the father of the unborn child.

Mr Homann's barrister Peter Lange said his client, who was found with methamphetamine in his system, "will not be suggesting he's not responsible or did not cause the death of Ms Paepaerei".

"What is the issue is what was going on in the mind of Mr Homann that night," Mr Lange said.

He said his client had been exhibiting "erratic behaviour" about the time of the attack, and the trial would hear evidence from psychiatrists of other incidents involving Mr Homann.

"Ultimately I'll be suggesting, members of the jury, this is not a case about domestic violence," Mr Lange said. "This is not a case about drug use. What this case is ultimately about is the power of mental illness.

"I'll ask you to keep an open mind, listen to the evidence, and focus on what is going on in the mind of Mr Homann that night."

The trial continues.

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Man claims he was mentally ill when pregnant girlfriend stabbed to death, court told

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Kirralee Paepaerei was stabbed almost 50 times, allegedly be her partner Joshua Scott Homann, in an attack that also killed their unborn child.

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Issue: Drug driving

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NSW adds cocaine to driver drug testing - Government News

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New South Wales is the first Australian state to test drivers for cocaine use. All Australian states now have random driver drug testing, similar to random breath testing for alcohol. But the existing kits in all states test only THC (Cannabis), methamphetamine (speed and ice) and MDMA (ecstasy). Cocaine, a drug widely associated with more […]

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Issue: Youth crime crisis in Victoria

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This was published 7 years ago

Updated first published at

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Two 10-year-olds were charged with more than 20 crimes each in the past year, crime data on every youth offender in Victoria has revealed.

Police and state government fears that a hardcore group of youngsters is committing a huge number of offences are backed up by the statistics released to Fairfax Media.

Youth crime has been put in the spotlight by new statistics Credit: Angela Wylie

A group of 34 boys and girls aged 11 to 18 - the juveniles at the pointy end of the state's youth crime crisis - committed at least 1100 offences between them.

Since a gang brawl erupted at Moomba in March last year, catapulting youth crime into the public consciousness, the state government and Victoria Police have repeatedly blamed a small band of offenders for causing the lion's share of trouble.

The latest Crime Statistics Agency data underline that point, and also reveal that the number of youth offenders leaps dramatically from ages 13 to 14.

The Age has been told of one teenager from Melbourne's south-east who has been charged with almost 120 offences in the past 18 months.

Police said the 17-year-old started with petty crime as a 15-year-old before progressing to robberies, burglaries, driving stolen cars, aggravated burglaries and armed robberies.

He was arrested and charged by police at various stages during his year-and-a-half spree, but consistently re-offended when he was on bail.

"I've never seen so many offences in such a short time," one officer said.

The figures show how many crimes 12,169 offenders aged 10 to 19 were charged with from October 2015 to September last year.

Only a small percentage of these offenders committed more than 30 offences. Only nine committed more than 40.

Two racked up more than 50 offences.

The data does not break down the offenders by gender, or detail which offences they were charged with. It also does not give a picture of whether the individuals were repeat offenders.

Two 10-year-olds committed between 21-30 offences.

More than two thirds of offenders were aged 16 or younger, and almost one in four were 14 or younger.

While the number of offenders increases gradually by age group, the leap is greatest between 13 and 14, when this figure almost doubles.

There were 664 offenders who were 13, but this figure jumps to 1149 for 14-year-olds.

Seventy-four 10-year-olds were charged with a criminal offence last year, and there were 2210 offenders who were 18.

A spokesman for Minister for Families Jenny Mikakos said changes announced last month to a youth justice system which had "not kept pace" would crack down on young offenders.

These changes include a review of the framework for youth policy, which has not been updated since 2000.

The review will consider why young people are at risk of involvement with the justice system, and consider the best ways to intervene as early as possible.

"It's concerning that a small number of repeat violent offenders are responsible for almost a quarter of youth crimes," the spokesman said.

"We're reviewing the outdated youth policy framework so that the system is in a better position to respond to youth offending in the future."

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Youth crime crisis: 10-year-olds charged with at least 20 crimes, hardcore remains

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Crime data on every youth offender in Victoria has revealed two 10-year-olds were charged with more than 20 crimes each in the past year, and confirmed police and state government fears that a hardcore group of prolific youngsters are committing hundreds of offences.

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New report on sexual abuse of woman in Australia

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Alcohol related violence in NT

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A minimum price will be set for alcohol in the Northern Territory under sweeping legislative reforms that are the first such move of their kind in Australia.

The NT government on Tuesday released its formal response to the recent Riley review of the alcohol abuse crisis in the Territory.

The attorney general, Natasha Fyles, said there was too much alcohol-fuelled violence and crime and the issue had to be addressed. "Territorians want and deserve safe communities and today we are releasing the most comprehensive framework in the Territory's history to tackle the No 1 social issue," she said.

"We promised Territorians we would take an evidence-based approach to tackling alcohol-related harm and the government's response to the Riley review provides a roadmap to address that."

The government has committed to 219 of the review's 220 recommendations. Fyles said 186 recommendations would be implemented in full and the government had given in-principle support for 33 more.

Only a proposed ban on the sale of takeaway alcohol on Sundays has been rejected.

In his review, former NT supreme court chief justice Trevor Riley called for a $1.50 minimum price for a standard alcoholic drink to ease the problem of heavily discounted wine, which he said was sometimes cheaper than water.

Attorney general Natasha Fyles said Territorians want and deserve safe communities. Photograph: Neda Vanovac/AAP

Fyles told Mix 104.9 in Darwin the government would implement a $1.30 minimum. She said that would put the minimum price for a bottle of wine at about $9.

In his other recommendations, Riley called for the phase-out of small grocery stores selling alcohol.

He found the Territory had the highest per-capita rate of alcohol consumption in Australia, one of the highest in the world, and the highest rate of hospitalisations due to alcohol misuse.

The Territory also has the nation's highest rates of alcohol-related crime, violence and death, which costs taxpayers about $640m a year.
Australian Associated Press contributed to this report

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NT puts minimum price on alcohol in Australian first

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Attorney general says government tackling 'the No 1 social issue' after release of Riley review of alcohol abuse crisis

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Issue: Prescription drug abuse by teenagers

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The Brighton teenagers received treatment after taking alprazolam - usually known by brand name Xanax - an anti-anxiety medication around 20 times stronger than Valium.

It is not illegal but not available on NHS prescription. Public Health England warned that by sourcing the drug online and taking it recreationally users were "dicing with death."

The Argus can reveal more than 100 people have been treated in connection with abuse of Benzodiazepines - the group of depressants to which Xanax belongs - at the Royal Sussex County Hospital since July of last year.

Dr Peter Wilkinson, consultant in public health at Brighton and Hove City Council said: "We're asking parents to talk to their children, to make sure they understand the risks. It can have a wide range of harmful effects and overdoses can be fatal particularly when taken with alcohol and other drugs. As Xanax isn't available on prescription from the NHS people are getting it online, probably through the dark web, which means no one actually knows what it is they're buying."

Public Health England has warned the misuse of Xanax may be increasing. PHE's head of alcohol, drugs and tobacco, Rosanna O'Connor, warned: "People buy things from the internet and they have no guarantee of what they are getting, so whatever is in the drugs they buy could change from one drug to another. They are dicing with death really because these things are dangerous."

A city GP who works with drug abuse, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect his patients' confidentiality, told The Argus even the pure version of the drug could be extremely addictive and highly dangerous. He said: "It's incredibly addictive, and can make you fall into a very deep sleep which has risks. It can depress your respiration and you can stop breathing, especially if you take too much of it."

He said recently patients had spoken to him about their use of the drug for the first time in months, which prompted him to wonder whether a new shipment had recently become available online.

The council said substance misuse workers and public health professionals believed the drug was being bought over the internet and from local dealers. The drug is not illegal and Sussex Police did not comment. In January the force linked a case of criminal damage, and one a self-harm by a teenage girl, to Xanax misuse.

For help or support parents can contact Ruok on 01273 296169 or RUOKDB@brighton-hove.gov.uk. Worried parents are advised to discuss with their child's doctor and further information can be found at thedrugswheel.com or talktofrank.com.

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Six Brighton teenagers in hospital over Xanax tranquilizer use

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SIX teenagers have been hospitalised in a week after taking an extremely addictive tranquilizer which doctors are warning could be a killer new...

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Issue: Drug abuse among youth within Australia

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All seven students who were rushed to hospital after overdosing at a Gold Coast private school have now been asked to leave.

Four of the seven boys, aged 14 and 15, were in a critical condition in the hours after taking the drug, believed to have been purchased online.

They were all discharged from hospital within a week of the incident.

The drug has not been formally identified, but police said a banned anti-anxiety drug called Phenibut was being looked at.

Saint Stephen's College headmaster Jamie Dorrington said he had meetings with the boys and their parents at the school, in order to discuss their situation and apply the school's Drugs Misuse Policy.

"I can confirm that all seven boys will no longer be attending Saint Stephen's. I believe all of the boys were sorry for the impact of their actions on themselves, their families and the school," he said in a statement.

"I ask that the college community accept that these boys made a mistake, which they themselves accept, and we, as a supportive community, need not embarrass them further.

"Once again, I am grateful for the support shown by the school community through a challenging time. Hopefully this brings a close to the situation.

"I reassure the school community that my staff and I are committed to keeping all of our students safe and healthy."

Detective Sergeant Aubort said at the time the teenagers could potentially face drug supply charges.

"We investigate crimes so at the end of the day if the evidence supports criminal charges then yes we will be pursuing that," he said.

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Boys who overdosed on drugs to leave Gold Coast school

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The seven students who were rushed to hospital after overdosing at a Gold Coast's Saint Stephen's College have now been asked to leave.

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ISSUE: Factors affecting the perpetration of sex crimes in rural areas (if too broad, maybe in the Riverina specifically?).

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Wagga man accused of sexually assaulting child

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The 22-year-old is expected to make a bail application on Thursday.

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Gang related crime in Melbourne.

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African-Australian leaders in Melbourne have called on their young people to stand up to rogue criminal elements of their community, after meeting in Melbourne to respond to growing concerns about street gangs.

The issue has been making headlines after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull accused Premier Daniel Andrews of failing to deal with "growing gang violence and lawlessness" earlier this week.

Yesterday, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton took the attack further, saying Melburnians were frightened of dining out at night because of gang crime.

"The reality is people [in Melbourne] are scared to go out at restaurants of a night time because they're followed home by these gangs, home invasions, and cars are stolen," Mr Dutton told Sydney radio.

A spokeswoman for the African Australian Communities Leadership Forum (AACLF)that met last night, Zione Walker-Nthenda, said the factors behind youth crime in African-Australian communities were complex and "need to be addressed as such".

"We should not be distracted by name-calling, political point-scoring or media sensationalism in trying to sell stories," Ms Walker-Nthenda said.

"We especially call on the majority of our young people, who are law-abiding individuals with dreams and aspirations for success, to become more active and to take steps to help prevent antisocial behaviour by their peers.

"We finally ask the media to demonstrate more responsible reporting on these difficult issues and balance their reporting with the many positive stories that are happening within the African-Australian community."

Police also took part in the meeting.

Data from Victoria's Crime Statistics Agency shows an overrepresentation of Sudanese and Kenyan-born offenders in some crime categories.

Sudanese-born offenders allegedly involved in aggravated burglaries in Victoria increased from 20 in 2014-15 to 98 two years later.

However, the statistics also show that a Victorian is more than 25 times more likely to be seriously assaulted by someone born in Australia or New Zealand than someone born in Sudan or Kenya.

We asked if you thought this call for Melbourne's African-Australian youth to "become more active" against gang violence could help reduce community concerns.

Meanwhile, Police Minister Lisa Neville said Mr Dutton's restaurant comment had taken the debate "to a whole new low".

The comment was ridiculed on social media by users who posted photos of restaurant meals with the hashtag #MelbourneBitesBack, which was trending on Twitter last night.

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African leaders call for calm as Dutton's gangs comment sparks backlash

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African-Australian community leaders meet in Melbourne and call on their young people to stand up to criminals, as social media mocks a minister's claim that Melburnians are too frightened to go out for dinner.

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Issue: Child Abuse within Australia

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‘Horrifically’ injured baby found with 35 bone fractures

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The parents of a Perth baby are behind bars after failing to take their injured nine-week-old baby to hospital because they feared losing Centrelink payments, a court is told.

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Issue: Australia's domestic violence crisis

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The extent of Australia's family, domestic and sexual violence crisis has been revealed in a landmark report that details the death toll and increasing generational impacts of the issue.

This article contains content that is not available.

For the first time, the government's Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has compiled comprehensive data on the prevalence of violence, finding that on average one woman a week and one man a month is killed by a current or former partner.

It also found family violence was a leading cause of homelessness, that the problem had grown in the past five years, and that millions of children had been physically or sexually abused.

"The seriousness of these issues cannot be overstated," AIHW CEO Barry Sandison said.

"Looking only at the numbers can at times appear to depersonalise the pain and suffering that sits behind the statistics."

The report made a number of key findings, including:

1 in 6 (1.6 million) women and 1 in 16 (500,000) men have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a cohabiting partner since age 15.

1 woman a week and 1 man a month were killed by a current or former partner in the two years from 2012-13 to 2013-14.

2,800 women and 560 men were hospitalised in 2014-15 after being assaulted by a spouse or partner.

72,000 women, 34,000 children and 9,000 men sought homelessness services in 2016-17 due to family/domestic violence.

Intimate partner violence causes more illness, disability and deaths than any other risk factor for women aged 25-44.

1 in 5 (1.7 million) women and 1 in 20 (429,000) men have been sexually assaulted and/or threatened since age 15.

1 in 6 (1.5 million) women and 1 in 9 (992,000) men were physically and/or sexually abused before the age of 15.

The AIHW compiled data from 20 major sources to build a picture of family violence in Australia.

It identified six groups most at risk of experiencing some form of violence or abuse: Indigenous women, young women, pregnant women, women with disabilities, women experiencing financial hardship, and people who had witnessed abuse as children.

Child abuse prevalent

Nearly 2.5 million Australians reported being physically or sexually abused before the age of 15, with young girls making up almost two thirds of those.

Family violence support services:

The AIHW report found children who were abused were three times as likely to experience domestic violence later in life.

This was having significant impacts on their mental health and living situation, the AIHW said.

"Children witnessing, or being exposed to, domestic violence is increasingly being recognised as a form of child abuse," the report reads.

"A large and growing number of children are placed in out-of-home care as a consequence of this abuse."

Indigenous at significant risk

Indigenous Australians are particularly over-represented in the data compiled in the AIHW report.

It found Indigenous women were 32 times more likely to be hospitalised due to family violence than non-Indigenous women, and Indigenous men were 23 times more likely.

Indigenous children were also seven times more likely to be victims of substantiated cases of child abuse or neglect.

The report found Indigenous Australians had increased risk factors for family violence, such as social stressors like poor housing and overcrowding, financial difficulties and unemployment.

"The removal of their land, and cultural dispossession, over the past 200 years have resulted in particular social, economic, physical, psychological and emotional problems for Indigenous Australians," the AIHW report reads.

'We need better data'

The AIHW found family violence in Australia had significant financial impact, costing "at least" $22 billion in direct costs (such as healthcare and welfare support) and indirect costs (such as lost wages).

Yet despite the impact, Mr Sandison said there remained inconsistent approaches to defining the issue and compiling data.

"We know that family, domestic and sexual violence is a major problem in Australia, but without a comprehensive source of evidence and analysis, tackling such a complex issue will continue to be difficult," he said.

The AIHW found a number of particular challenges with existing reporting procedures, including:

No consistent definition for family, domestic and sexual violence.

No consistent identification method to enable incidents to be captured and counted across jurisdictions.

Fragmented, dispersed and incomplete data about responses to family, domestic and sexual violence, partly due to the wide range of organisations and sectors involved.

Inability to reliably report on specific population groups.

Difficulty in distinguishing between victims and perpetrators in some data collections.

Lack of data about pathways, impacts and outcomes for victims and perpetrators.

AIHW spokesperson Louise York said addressing these issues would help form better responses to the problem.

"One of the reasons why we thought this report would be a very important service was to really try to understand not just the scale of the violence but what happens as a result," she said.

"Having a better understanding of how all of those responses can be brought to bear will hopefully go some way to helping inform future policy."

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australian institute of health and welfare

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'One dead every week': Landmark report reveals extent of domestic violence

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The extent of Australia's family, domestic and sexual violence crisis is revealed in a landmark report that details the death toll and increasing generational impacts of the issue.

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Youth Crime

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FOUR children have been charged with more than 80 offences after a month-long crime spree stretching from Toowoomba to Chinchilla.

The juveniles, aged 12 to 14, were arrested in Chinchilla yesterday wanted over a string of alleged crimes including the break and enter of a service station, stealing cars and other stealing offences.

Police will strongly object to any bail application when they appear in the Dalby Children's Court today.

The four juveniles were known to police before the crime spree across the Western Downs and Toowoomba and had evaded arrest for at least a week, police will claim.

The offenders were also linked to offences in the St George area in the past month, police said.

Chinchilla police located two of the wanted juveniles in the town yesterday and arrested them about 9.50am.

The other two of the group later handed themselves in to police.

They were transported from Chinchilla to Dalby yesterday afternoon.

The four are facing a combined 88 charges including unlawful use of a motor vehicle, unlicensed driving, stealing, break and enter and evade offences.

The four offenders have previously been sentenced to youth detention for other unrelated offences, police said.

Originally published as Four kids facing 88 charges after month-long crime spree

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Four kids facing 88 charges after month-long crime spree

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FOUR children have been charged with more than 80 offences after a month-long crime spree stretching from Toowoomba to Chinchilla.

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issues: counter-terrorism within Australia.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10439460903377311

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Issue: ethics and legalities of offences committed by on the clock law enforcement personal.

https://www.9news.com.au/national/2018/03/22/06/08/justine-damond-ruszczyk-shooter-mohamed-noor-court-bail-set

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He had support in, and outside of court, from those who believe he has been failed by the system because he is a Muslim immigrant.

Mohamed Noor was released on US$400,000 (A$516,000) bail today charged with murder and manslaughter after his first court appearance over the shooting death of Ms Ruszczyk.

Noor is accused of shooting Ms Ruszczyk, a 40-year-old life coach from Sydney's northern beaches, minutes after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home in July last year.

Inside court he sat in orange prison scrubs and waved at supporters.

Noor's bail is also subject to a number of conditions. He is forbidden to own a passport, a firearm, or talk to his partner who was in the car the night Ms Ruszczyk died.

He did not speak to reporters as he left the Minneapolis courthouse, but earlier a community activist said he was only under arrest because he killed "a white woman".

Kiman Ugas spoke to reporters outside the court in Minneapolis where Noor is facing charges of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Noor is a Muslim man who migrated to the United States from Somalia, with Ms Ugas saying was targeted for his race and religion.

"It's unfair because Mohamed Noor was just doing what he was trained to do... and I don't think that he was treated fair," she said.

"Mohamed Noor is an immigrant African American, Muslim - he got so many strikes. He kill a white woman (sic) that's why he's there today," she said.

The alleged shooter sat stoically in the dock this morning, waving at his supporters and legal team during proceedings.

Noor is accused of shooting Ms Ruszczyk, a 40-year-old life coach from Sydney's northern beaches, minutes after she called 911 to report a possible sexual assault in the alley behind her home in July last year.

Noor is just the second police officer in Minneapolis to be charged with murder, with the district attorney telling 9NEWS he has a strong case.

The DA told 9NEWS reporter Charles Croucher some police were not forthcoming in helping with the prosecution of the case.

While it is not known if he has the funds to make bail, Noor has been given strict instructions if he does make it out.

He must not make contact with Matthew Harritty, the officer he was in the car with on the night of the killing. He will also have to surrender his passport and is no longer able to possess any guns.

Noor is also no longer a member of the Minneapolis Police Department. He is due again in court on May 8.

Noor turned himself into authorities yesterday after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Head of the County Attorney's officer, Mike Freeman, recounted the moments before Ms Ruszczyk's death in a press conference.

He cited a witness statement provided by Noor's partner on the night of the incident, Matthew Harrity, and said Noor had acted in a manner that was "in disregard for human life".

"Officer Harrity said he heard a sound he described like a light bulb dropping onto the floor and saw a flash. Harrity checked to make sure that he was not shot, then looked to his right and saw Officer Noor's right hand extend across him towards Officer Harrity's open window," Mr Freeman said.

"Officer Harrity then looked out his window and saw a woman. Ms Damond-Ruszczyk had put her hands on the wound on her left side or abdomen and said 'I'm dying', or 'I'm dead'."

In speaking about the decision to pursue charges, Mr Freeman said Noor did not encounter any threat on the night of July 15 that justified the use of deadly force.

"In the short time between when Ms Damond-Ruszczyk approached the squad car and the time Officer Noor fired the fatal shot, there is no evidence that officer Noor encountered a threat, appreciated a threat, investigated a threat or confirmed a threat that justified his decision to use deadly force," he said.

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Justine Ruszczyk shooting accused Mohamed Noor free on $400k bail

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The police officer accused of gunning down Australian woman Justine Ruszczyk outside her Minneapolis home h...

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Issue:animal cruelty
http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/animal-cruelty-qld-cases-on-the-rise-says-rspca/news-story/b62ccb61d499b2169d2cc23352dcd7fb

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MORE than two animal cruelty complaints were made each hour on average last year across Queensland, with the RSPCA raising concerns the charity is overworked and under-resourced.

There were 18,414 complaints recorded in 2017, up from 18,112 cases in 2016.

Caboolture had the most complaints of any Queensland postcode, with 220 incidents. It has been the worst suburb for animal cruelty since 2015.

The RSPCA's Michael Beatty said animal neglect was as common as deliberate cruelty.

"It's hard to know whether or not there is more neglect or cruelty going on, or whether or not people are more aware of it," he said.

Deception Bay had the second most incidents last year (146). Eagleby and Woodridge both recorded 125.

The figures come after horrific footage surfaced of a 32-year-old Gold Coast man appearing to kick his staffordshire bull terrier this month. The man will face Southport Magistrates Court in February on one count of animal cruelty.

Mr Beatty estimated the RSPCA took about 80 cruelty cases to court in 2017.

"In the past four years there has been a few more incidents where animals have been shot with arrows and that sort of thing," he said. Sadly the lower socio-economic areas do seem to have more (incidents)."

Mr Beatty said the RSPCA was "hugely overworked".

"Resources are the problem, we're a charity, we're not a government department."

Nikki Chapple from Best Friends Felines said Brisbane didn't offer enough pet friendly rental properties.

"That's our No.1 surrender reason," she said.

Ms Chapple, who last year spent $133,000 on vet fees, said one 17-week-old kitten had been thrown into a wall and suffered a shattered pelvis.

"People just don't take their animals to the vet," she said.

Originally published as Animal cruelty QLD cases on the rise, says RSPCA

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MORE than two animal cruelty complaints were made each hour on average last year across Queensland, with the RSPCA raising concerns the charity is overworked and under-resourced.

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Bikie Gang Crime

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The colourful life and death of bikie king Mick Hawi

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AT THE height of the Sydney bikie wars of 2009, the young and handsome Comanchero gang president Mahmoud "Mick" Hawi appeared to have it all.

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Jess

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A Darwin man has pleaded guilty in the Northern Territory Supreme Court to a violent assault outside a pub on Darwin's nightclub strip, which left the victim with a fractured skull and brain bleed.

The court heard Yowane Raymond Namaibai was drinking with friends in the beer garden of Shenanigans on Mitchell Street just before 2:00am on August 16 last year, when the victim was dropped off outside by a taxi.

Extensive security footage of the incident was shown to the court, which prohibited the media from publishing the content online.

The CCTV showed the victim was not wearing any shoes, and as he attempted to put them on, Namaibai leaned over the pub's railing to speak to him.

The statement of facts said the victim was highly intoxicated, stumbling and did not know Namaibai or his friends.

A short time later an underage friend of Namaibai punched the victim in the head in a minor altercation before the pub's security diffused the situation and advised the victim to leave and take a taxi from across the road.

But the security vision showed Namaibai followed the victim across the road and spoke with him.

After a brief conversation the victim attempted to punch Namaibai, which resulted in a violent retaliation by Namaibai and two of his friends.

Namaibai was seen on CCTV punching the victim to the ground and attempting to kick and stomp him while the victim covered his face with his arms.

Security and bystanders stepped in, but Namaibai pushed past them to deliver one final stomp on the man's head, a blow which left him unconscious on the pavement.

Brain bleed, fractured skull among injuries

The victim required surgery and spent six days in hospital with a brain bleed and fractured skull.

Justice Judith Kelly will sentence Namaibai next Tuesday for what she described as "extremely serious offending".

"Any sentence will need to send a strong message to Mr Namaibai and the community that this kind of behaviour is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated by the court," she told the hearing.

Namaibai's solicitor Shane McMaster said his client had anger management and alcohol dependency issues after growing up in tough environment.

The offender was four months into a suspended sentence for another violent incident at the time of the Mitchell Street incident.

The two other males arrested over the incident, one who is a minor, have also pleaded guilty.

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Man pleads guilty to Mitchell Street head stomp assault

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A Darwin man pleads guilty to a violent assault on a man unknown to him outside a pub on Darwin's nightclub strip, which left the victim with a fractured skull and brain bleed.

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Issue: Institutionalised pedophilia

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Sydney boys home pedophile ring arrest - 9News

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A 67-year-old Queensland man has been charged with molesting boys at the now-defunct Daruk Training School…

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Issue: Sex Trafficking
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/man-to-face-act-court-on-charges-of-rape-human-trafficking-forced-labour-and-immigration-matters-20180214-h0w41c.html

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Issue: Domestic violence in NSW
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/policy-in-limbo-delays-with-nsw-domestic-violence-tenancy-laws-20180303-p4z2oi.html

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Issue: Assault on Bus Drivers

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A WOMAN who allegedly punched a local bus driver in the face last year after a dispute over change has been granted bail.

Elizabeth Jane Maranda, 35, appeared in the Brisbane Magistrates Court after last night being charged with assault occasioning bodily harm of the driver on December 19, 2016.

Police allege the woman got onto a bus on the corner of Saint Pauls Terrace and Union Street with another woman at 10.50am and had an argument with the driver.

The court heard Maranda allegedly punched the driver after a dispute over change when she boarded the bus.

Police released CCTV footage of the incident on Wednesday and Maranda was charged on Thursday night.

The court heard Maranda was a diagnosed as a schizophrenic who had previously been before the court before assault and drug related matters.

However, her defence lawyer, Sue Ganesan, indicated she had the mental capacity to face the charge relating to the bus driver assault.

"What I simply point to the fact is someone in Ms Maranda's position doesn't have the skills or abilities to deal with her issues as well as someone without schizophrenia," she said.

The court heard the 35-year-old had told police she was remorseful for the incident.

Prosecutor Peri Cardiff asked the court to prohibit Maranda from catching or approaching Brisbane City Council buses, but Magistrate Barry Cosgrove did not support the submission and allowed the woman to continue to travel on public transport.

She was granted bail on the condition she report to the Fortitude Valley police station two days a week.

Maranda will return to court on April 6, 2018.

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A WOMAN who allegedly punched a local bus driver in the face last year after a dispute over change has been granted bail.

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Issue: Coward Punch/ "One Punch" attacks.

Will try to focus on NSW areas, but am welcome to hear any suggestions.

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This was published 6 years ago

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A man has died after he was allegedly punched in the face outside a Central Coast pub in a "one punch incident" in the early hours of New Year's Day.

Haydn Butcher, 30, was inside the Lakes Hotel at The Entrance about 1am on January 1 when there was an "altercation", police said.

He went outside, where 49-year-old George Joseph Habkouk allegedly ran towards him and punched him once in the face.

Mr Butcher fell to the ground, hit his head on the concrete and lost consciousness, police said.

Haydn Butcher has died in hospital after being punched in the face on New Year's Day. Credit: Facebook

He was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital in a critical condition with swelling to his brain.

Police said Mr Butcher died at the hospital on Tuesday.

Shocked friends posted tributes online for the young father and carpenter, saying he had "everything ahead of him".

"Rest in peace Haydn, taken way too early," one friend wrote.

The Lakes Hotel at The Entrance. Credit: Google Maps

Mr Habkouk was arrested at a home in Bateau Bay at about 6pm on Monday and charged with assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.

He briefly appeared at Wyong Local Court on Tuesday, where he was refused bail.

He will remain behind bars until his next court appearance on January 8, where he will face an upgraded charge of assault causing death.

In a statement, police urged anyone with information on the incident to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

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Haydn Butcher dies after alleged one-punch attack on Central Coast

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A man has died after he was punched in the face at a Central Coast pub in the early hours of New Year's Day.

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Issue: Bikie Crime in NSW.

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DRAMATIC video has been released showing the moment Comanchero bikie Mick Hawi was shot dead by a masked assassin in a suburban Sydney car park last month.

The video obtained by Seven News shows a man dressed in black and wearing a full face balaclava running with a pistol into the car park of First Fitness gym just after midday on February 15.

He runs toward a black vehicle, raises the weapon in his right hand, aims and fires several shots at close range into the driver's seat of the car.

The man then runs away and as it later emerged, Mick Hawi was shot in the face as he sat in his own four wheel drive..

The dramatic footage was released by police on Friday just after it was revealed a man was arrested at the airport on the same day as Hawi's murder trying to leave the country.

Although detectives said the man was not directly involved with the assassination, they later executed a search warrant at a southwestern Sydney home and found a pistol.

It is not clear whether the Desert Eagle handgun seized by police is the same weapon used in Hawi's murder.

Former bikie boss Mahmoud "Mick" Hawi died in hospital hours after the targeted attack on him after a gym session.

NSW Police later said Hawi was ambushed.

The 37-year-old who had retied as national president of the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle group had previously been convicted of the 2009 Sydney Airport murder of Anthony Zervas.

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Dramatic video shows moment bikie Mick Hawi is shot dead

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DRAMATIC video has been released showing the moment Comanchero bikie Mick Hawi was shot dead by a masked assassin in a suburban Sydney car park last month.

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Issue:  African youth crime spree in Melbourne.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-05/teenager-attacked-with-baseball-bat-in-series-of-incidents/9306722

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Police are searching for a number of young African menafter two teens were attacked and two homes were broken into during a four-hour rampage in Melbourne's western suburbs overnight.

Victoria Police Commander Russell Barrett said the crimes were an example of "thuggish" behaviour, by "young people in our community who have no apparent care for the rights and wellbeing of their fellow citizens".

"It's clear to say a number of young men were involved in the offending," he said.

"It's hard for us at this stage to say whether they are linked, but certainly given the proximity of the addresses that's something we're working through."

Police said the crime spree began about 9:30pm on Thursday when a 17-year-old boy in Taylors Hill was ambushed and hit with what appeared to be a baseball bat after refusing a demand for his things.

The boy was then dragged along the ground before the offenders fled in the waiting car.

In a second incident two hours later, four males smashed a glass door at a house in Hillside before striking a 59-year-old woman and forcing her to sit in her front room, while ten other males ransacked her house.

"They slapped her across the face, she received cuts and bruising and property was stolen," Commander Barrett said.

Shortly afterwards a 16-year-old boy walking along the street was knocked to the ground and kicked and punched by a group of males in Cairnlea.

In the final incident, about 12:30am, three males smashed a window and broke into a home in Delahey, before being chased out when the occupants of the house armed themselves, police said.

'Horrendous offences'

An hour later, police said they gave chase to a stolen car believed to have been involved in the incidents.

The car was found a short time later crashed into a fence and power pole. The offenders ran off on foot.

No arrests have been made and no one was seriously injured in the crimes.

"One of the victims was taken to hospital but fortunately they were released this morning with only minor injuries - bruising and the like," Commander Barrett said.

"But these are horrendous offences, no member of our community should be a victim of these types of offences."

Pressure on African community

Crimes committed by young members of the African community in Melbourne have come to national attention this week, after federal Cabinet minister Greg Hunt said "African gang crime" was out of control in the city.

Commander Barrett said incidents like Thursday night's were concerning, but recent events did not necessarily mean the situation was getting worse.

"I wouldn't go as far as saying it's an escalation, but it's certainly a serious incident," he said.

"We're seeing offences across a range types of offending - some of it quite low level, the sort of behaviour you see from kids who are on holidays and get themselves in trouble.

"Others - as these offences are -are incredibly serious, incredibly harmful to the community, incredibly scary for those people involved."

African-Australian leaders in Melbourne called on their young people to stand up to rogue criminal elements of their community on Wednesday, after meeting to respond to growing concerns about street gangs.

Commander Barrett said the victims of last night's crimes had all described the offenders as "African youth".

"It places pressure on the broader African community and I think it's fortunate that a number of African community leaders have spoken out against some of the behaviours of young people in recent days," he said.

"But don't be mistaken, Victoria Police's view is that we will catch these offenders and lock them up."

Commander Barrett said it was not yet clear if the string of incidents last night was organised or constituted "gang" crime.

But he said police were taking the issue crimes committed by groups of youths seriously, with a dedicated taskforce and an anti-gang squad focusing on it.

"Anyone who behaves in this type of manner presents a problem to the community, and as Victoria Police has called out in recent days, some of these young people are behaving in street gang behaviours," he said.

"We're not saying it's organised, but we're certainly saying they're behaving in street gang behaviours.

"I can't say at this stage of the investigation, or point to, an organised group of males involved in this incident, it's too early to say."

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Teens assaulted, homes invaded in 'horrendous' Melbourne crime spree, police say

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Police are searching for a number of young African men after an "incredibly scary" four-hour rampage in Melbourne's western suburbs overnight, but have stopped short of saying the crimes were organised.

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Issue: Sexual assault against women in Northern Territory

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The Alice Springs Women's Shelter has adopted the global #MeToo campaign, highlighting the record levels of sexual assault and violence that central Australian women live with on a daily basis.

The campaign gained global notoriety on social media in October when famous Hollywood actresses stood-up against sexual harassment and violence in the film industry, leading to the downfall of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Di Gipey, the CEO of the Alice Springs Women's Shelter, said she had followed the campaign since its inception and has now proactively adopted #MeToo to coincide with Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April.

"It's incredibly important that people understand that for so long we have lost voices within the Aboriginal women's sector," she said.

"We want to raise those women's voices and we want to give a voice for Aboriginal women who want to have that voice as well.

Referrals to the Alice Springs Women's Shelter have recorded a significant increase in women needing assistance.

"From December 1 to February 14 there was an increase of 250 more referrals than for the same period last year," Ms Gipey said.

She said not all women fully understood the context of #MeToo.

"So what we hope to do throughout the month of April is to provide education and support so that we can raise that awareness ... throughout central Australia."

Furthermore, she wants to highlight Indigenous women's experience for the rest of the world.

"It goes deeper than being sexually harassed. Many are sexually assaulted and sexually abused," she said.

"A part of domestic and family violence is also non-consensual sex in marriage, in relationships. So it goes so much deeper. I think that what we want to do is bring the knowledge out that none of it is acceptable, on any level.

Kerrie, an Indigenous Alice Springs woman, acknowledged the differences between the origins of the campaign in Hollywood and the economic disparity of local women, but hoped the #MeToo campaign could bring grassroots issues to a global stage.

"We're far removed geographically, economically. However women are women and it's happening all over the world," she said.

"I've also been a victim of family violence myself and I have a daughter that has been a victim of family violence, and also sexual assault. So I feel really strongly about the campaign."

Shame to talk about violence

The Central Australian Aboriginal Family Legal Unit deals with the consequences of high levels of violence within the community.

According to Phynea Clark, the CEO of the unit, violence against women is increasing due to factors such as the escalation of alcohol use in the community.

"Well they've had enough of what's happening and they want the violence to stop," Ms Clark said of the campaign.

She said speaking about violence is not only confronting but a complicated topic for their clients, given that many women have experienced multiple assaults but are utilising the service for just one.

"There are many barriers that our women still face today. Some of the barriers, like language, with whichever service the client or the individual presents," Ms Clark said.

"It's a very sensitive area to speak about. It's always 'a shame job' as well. It shouldn't be happening in any of our communities."

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How the #MeToo movement reached Alice Springs

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Alice Springs Women's Shelter adopts the global #MeToo campaign, highlighting the record levels of sexual assault and violence central Australian women live with on a daily basis.

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Issue: Illegal weapons trafficking

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Brutal weapons collected from Aussie streets

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A SHOCKING report has revealed how Australians have handed more than 57,000 illegal firearms to police in just three months.

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Issue: Increase in illicit drug usage
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-10/fears-methamphetamine-spreading-to-remote-wadeye-community/9535112

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Issue: Rape and sexual assault.

https://theconversation.com/everyday-rape-lets-turn-the-spotlight-on-known-perpetrators-39437

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Issue: Elderly abuse in aged care facilities

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To use this website, cookies must be enabled in your browser. To enable cookies, follow the instructions for your browser below. Facebook App: Open links in External Browser There is a specific issue with the Facebook in-app browser intermittently making requests to websites without cookies that had previously been set.

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Issue: Drug crime in the Central West

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PROACTIVE policing and a focus on drug-related crime have paid dividends for Bathurst police, with the most recent crime figures revealing a fall in half of the major crime categories.

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Bathurst police focus on drug crime to help bring down all the stats

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There is good news for Bathurst in the latest crime statistics

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Issue: Increase in domestic violence in WA over past decade.

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An alarming increase in domestic violence in WA over the past decade is partially due to growing awareness in the community, but shows more long-term support systems and early intervention is needed, advocates say.

An analysis by the ABC of statistics from WA Police reveals the number of family violence offences in the state has risen sharply.

Family violence offences, including assault and threatening behaviour, have surged more than 100 per cent in the past decade.

This included a spike of 32 per cent between 2014-15 and 2015-16, with the total number of offences jumping from 25,796 to 34,118.

The trend has continued so far this financial year, with recorded offences sitting above the five-year average.

A similar trend can be observed in numbers of breaches of violence restraining orders.

The trend is backed up by data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics - which measures numbers of victims, while the WA Police data measures number of offences - which also indicates a rise in domestic violence in the state.

The ABS recorded a 12 per cent rise in the rate of family violence-related assault victims in 2016 in Western Australia, on the back of a 23 per cent rise in family violence assaults in 2015.

Western Australia was second only to the Northern Territory in terms of the rate of domestic violence in 2016, with 792 victims of assault by a close partner or family member per 100,000 people.

In WA, 64 per cent of recorded assaults were family-violence related in 2015-2016, according to the ABS, and women were more likely than men to be victims of family violence-related assault.

More family violence turning fatal

The WA Police data does not break down homicide statistics by family violence, but ABS data shows there were 14 murders or attempted murders connected to family violence in WA in 2014, rising to 19 in 2015 and 35 in 2016.

Women's Council chief executive Angela Hartwig said the appointment of Rosie Batty as Australian of the Year in 2015 may have helped raise awareness of the issue and encouraged more people to come forward.

"Those conversations that have gone through the media and common households about domestic violence (have) helped break down some of the barriers and fears and myths about reporting domestic and family violence," Ms Hartwig said.

"Where you have a real national push, or a state primary prevention push, you will start to see increases in reporting."

Ms Hartwig said women's refuges in Perth were usually always full, and despite a State Government $21.7 million election pledge to fund domestic violence services, more could be done to provide medium and long-term programs to support victims to stay in their homes.

"We know that ... those reports represent only around 20 per cent of what's going on out there.

"It (sends) a message, a strong message, that obviously we need to not take our foot off the pedal, we need to keep ensuring that more can be done."

Children threatened, injured

But women are not the only victims.

The WA Police data does not break down offenders by age, but ABS data finds victims aged 19 years and under made up 12.7 per cent of family violence-related assault victims in 2016. Of these, 4.2 per cent were 0-14 years of age.

In WA, five of the state's 35 family-violence related homicide victims were aged under 19 years in 2016. There were no victims in this age category in the previous two years.

Commissioner for Children and Young People Colin Pettit said children had a right to live free from violence and called for domestic violence support services to ensure they had child-specific responses in place.

"The negative effects of exposure to family and domestic violence on children and young people are well documented and can include depression, anxiety, trauma symptoms, antisocial behaviour and school difficulties," he said.

"While the child themselves may not be the subject of the violent behaviour, the existence of violent behaviour in their household has been shown to cause trauma."

Investigate the crime profile of your suburb

This article contains content that is not available.

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Family violence surge laid bare as offences double in more than a decade

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A new data snapshot paints a troubling picture of domestic violence in WA, with offences more than doubling over the past decade, including a 32 per cent spike in one year alone.

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Issue: The rising number of sexual assaults involving high profile individuals

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-05/david-hogg-sexual-assault-victim-speaks-out/9618246

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Issue: women dying at the hands of their partner or ex-partner.

https://www.qt.com.au/news/islamic-state-sympathiser-sentenced-over-wifes-bru/3374271/

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Issue: one punch attacks in NSW.

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Australia's rugby sevens captain James Stannard says he is "very lucky" to be alive after an alleged one-punch assault left him with a fractured skull that has ruled him out of competing in the Commonwealth Games.

A 22-year-old British man has been charged over the incident, which occurred outside a kebab shop in Coogee about 3:00am on Friday.

Stannard had been out celebrating with outgoing coach Andy Friend and teammates Lewis Holland and Ben O'Donnell, at the Coogee Crowne Plaza when he was allegedly assaulted by the man.

As Stannard lay unconscious on Coogee Bay Road, Friend thought the blow had been fatal.

Holland and O'Donnell gave chase and apprehended the man nearby.

Speaking for the first time since the alleged assault, Stannard said he remembered being out at the pub earlier in the evening, but "after that, I don't remember anything".

The Rio Olympian was set to compete at his third Commonwealth Games before the alleged assault.

"I'm not angry, I'm just a bit heartbroken," he said.

Stannard said his bond with Holland and O'Donnell was "amazing" and he had messaged them to thank them for supporting him that night and chasing the alleged attacker.

"I don't know if I'd be here without those blokes...words can't describe how much I appreciate them being there."

Stannard struggled to turn his head as he answered questions from the media and admitted he felt "pretty sluggish" walking the short distance from the car.

"That's the longest walk I've had since I've been out of hospital," he said

Doctors had told him that, along with the fractured skull, he also had some bleeding on the brain.

"I don't really know the full extent but it sounds bad [and] I appreciate that I'm very lucky to be here," he said.

"I'll get a full recovery but it's just total rest for the moment."

Support from rugby community 'overwhelming'

Stannard, who is due to retire at the end of this season, was released from St Vincent's hospital on Sunday, where he had been since the early hours of Friday morning.

He said it felt good to be at home in his own bed, with his family by his side.

He was also "overwhelmed" by the outpouring of support from friends and family, his teammates and coaches from all over the world.

Stannard said he was still unsure whether he would travel to the Gold Coast to play a supporting role for his team at the Commonwealth Games.

"I'll try to get out there and support them but my priority is just to get a lot of rest between now and then.

"I will be definitely following them - whether it's here watching on TV or over there watching them."

Doctors say he should be well enough to train in six weeks' time, but the next two weeks are critical in his recovery.

He said he had spoken to teammates Lewis Holland and Jessie Parahi, who had also suffered recent injuries, about the prospect of competing at the Rugby Sevens World Cup in three months' time.

"We discussed that I would try everything I can to get right for the World Cup and have one last dance with those blokes.

"Football is just a small part of your life. I've got a family and something to go to after football that's more important after footy, so I'm just glad I'm here to enjoy those moments with them."

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Rugby sevens captain 'heartbroken' after alleged one-punch assault

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James Stannard does not remember anything about the moments immediately before or after an alleged assault in Coogee that left him with a fractured skull and dashed his chances to compete in a third Commonwealth Games.

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Issue: Human trafficking in Australia.

https://www.afp.gov.au/what-we-do/crime-types/human-trafficking

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Issue: Motocycle Gang related crime in the Hunter Valley Area

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Police raids over violent Hunter bikie war - 9News

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Police are carrying out dawn raids in the NSW Hunter region as part of an ongoing investigation into tensio…

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Issue: Child Neglect in NSW

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Issue: Cyber crime

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/increasing-cyber-crime-attacks-costing-up-to-1b-a-year-20180410-p4z8ui.html

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Issue:

Bikie violence escalates in Hunter region with sixth drive-by shooting between Finks, Nomads

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A spate of bikie-related drive-by shootings in the New South Wales Hunter region has triggered the formation of a new strike force to tackle gang-related violence.

A large number of gunshots were fired into a house and car in Chisholm, near the town of Maitland about 1:00am on Thursday.

Detective Superintendent Wayne Humphries said there have been six public shooting incidents and two Molotov cocktail attacks in the region since January.

"All of these matters relate to the behaviours of outlaw motorcycle gangs within this area ... the Nomads and the Finks," he said.

"It is clear there is some type of dispute between these two groups.

"We have been actively investigating and operating on both groups."

Strike Force Danay has now been established to specifically tackle the violence in the Hunter region, and will work in tandem with the Strike Force Raptor, which specialises in investigating NSW's outlaw motorcycle gangs.

On Wednesday, police announced Strike Force Raptor had dismantled the Nomad's clubhouse in the Upper Hunter town of Muswellbrook after a raid last week which found a fully-functioning bar, as well as clubs, believed to be used as weapons.

This operation follows the dismantling of the Nomads clubhouse at Islington, Newcastle, in early February.

Both clubhouses were shut down for the illicit sale of alcohol under the Restricted Premises Act.

Detective Superintendent Humphries said Strike Force Danay would add more resources to the fight against the violence.

He said the cause of the feud was still unclear and none of shooting victims were cooperating with police.

"We believe there is no danger to the community in terms of randomness of attacks," he said.

"This is a targeted attack between two groups who are undertaking this criminality.

"They have a misguided code of silence and we've got to try and break that down."

Detective Superintendent Humphries encouraged anyone with more information to contact Crime Stoppers.

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Police form special bikie strike force as Nomads, Finks violence escalates in the Hunter

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With the number of bikie-related drive-by shootings on the rise in NSW's Hunter region, the most recent being early this morning, police are stepping up their fight against the violence.