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Common Trends in Personal Violence

In order to increase awareness of potentially unsafe situations and, subsequently, of practical preventative strategies, it is important to understand the common trends in relation to personal violence. These include prevalence of offences, victim and offender characteristics, common offence times, and likely offence locations. The statistics listed in the following pages provide a general overview of current personal violence trends in Australia.

Delivering personal safety presentations provides a perfect opportunity to dispel the false perceptions held by many community members in relation to these trends, which often perpetuate an unrealistic fear of crime. Subsequently, by sharing with your audience the actual characteristics of personal violence offences, they are able to develop an understanding of how and why preventative strategies provided act to minimise their risk of becoming a victim. Another benefit is reducing their fear of crime which will often increase their confidence and quality of life (as later discussed).

Assault (not including sexual assault)
Source: CJC Assault in Queensland Report (1997).

Prevalence:

  • 3.2% of Queenslanders over the age of 15 yrs in the previous year

Victims:

  • Most common victim group is males aged 15 – 19;
  • Other risk characteristics = single people, the unemployed, indigenous people and those previously assaulted.
  • risk decreases with age

Offenders:

  • 58% known to the victim;
  • Majority of young men assaulted by stranger; and
  • Females are more likely to know their assailant.

Location:

  • Two most common locations = Streets (24%) and
    Dwellings (21%);
  • Women are more commonly assaulted in a dwelling; and
  • Men are more commonly assaulted away from dwelling.

Offence Time:

  • Majority occur after dark (approx. 66%); and
  • Weekends (including Friday nights) are high risk times for all victims.

 

Robbery
Source: ABS (1998

Prevalence:

  • 0.5% of Australian Population aged 15 and over were victims
    of robbery in 1997 (5 victims per 100,000).

Victims:

  • Highest risk groups = Males aged 15 - 24 years.
  • Of people aged over 25 years, females were more likely to be victims

Offenders:

  • Aproximately 77 % of offenders unknown to victim.
  • Young people were more likely to know the offender (31%)
  • Majority of young men assaulted by a stranger - women by a know assailant

Location:

  • Most common = Street or open land (34%); followed by:
    Home (21%); Place of work/study (12%); Shopping Centres
    (11%).

Weapons:

  • Used in 24% of incidents.

Rape and Sexual Assault
Source: ABS (1996) Women’s Safety Australia

Prevalence:

  • 1.9% of 6300 women surveyed had been a victim in the previous year

Victims:

  • Predominantly female, risk decreases with age.
  • other characteristics –unmarried; young people up to 24 years
  • 18-19 years are the most common

Offenders:

  • Predominately male (98% sexual assault; 100% of threats)
  • Approximately 80% were known to the victim
  • Generally partner, ex-partner or other known person

Locations:

  • Victim’s home, offender’s home or somewhere else the victim
    has willingly gone with offender.

Reporting:

  • The Women’s Safety Survey was self-reporting and found that
    only 10% of women who were victims reported the matter to
    the police.

Domestic Violence
Source: ABS(1996) Women’s Safety Australia

Prevalence:

  • 42.4% women surveyed had experienced violence by a
    previous partner;
  • 8.0% had experienced violence by their current partner

Victims:

  • Predominately women;
  • 24% of women who stated that they had experienced
    violence from their current partner in the past 12 months
    indicated that they were currently living in fear

Offenders:

  • Partners - predominately male

Location:

  • Most common = dwelling

 

Type:

  • Violence is more likely to be physical than sexual;
  • 46% of women who had experienced violence by a previous partner said their children had witnessed the violence

Homicide
Source: Australian Institute of Criminology Research and Public Policy Series, Number 18. (1999)

Prevalence:

  • 337 homicides in Australia in 1998; and
  • 322 (1997), 312 (1996), 325 (1995)

Victims:

  • 63% Male;
  • 37% Female;
  • Higher risk for males aged 24 - 26 years, females aged 21 -
    23 years, and Aboriginal and TSI males and females.

Offenders:

  • 88.6% Males;
  • 11.4% Females;
  • Male victims = 63% known offenders (45%friends/
    acquaintances; 11% intimate partners);
  • Female victims = 85.4% known offenders (57.6% intimate
    partners; 16% friends; 11.8% family);
  • Generally intra-racial.

Location:

  • Predominately dwelling for both male and females.

Weapon:

  • Most commonly knife, other sharp instrument or bodily force
    (i.e. hands/feet).

Personal Violence - Queensland Overview
Queensland Police Service Statistical Review 1999/2000.

Victims:

  • 54% male; 46% female;
  • Most at risk are persons aged 15 - 19 years
  • Risk decreases with age.

 

Offenders:

  • 84% Male;
  • 46% of offenders aged less than 25 years
  • Most offenders were known to the victim.

Location:

  • Home is most common location (10 232)
  • Street/footpath (7 211)
  • Retail premises (3 864)
  • Recreational (2 114)
  • Outbuilding/Residential land (2035)

 


Last Updated: 17/11/2009