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anarcho-tyranny, axes, bottle shops, bureau of crime statistics, Clive Small, clubs, Det Supt Luke Moore, don weatherburn, Dr Watson, gangs, Gordian Fulde, Gordian Knot, homes hit by drive-bys, homicide cases, jehoshaphat, knives, licensed premises, lone bandit, machetes, Meat cleavers, Mrs Hudson, nsw bureau of crime statistics, pool cues, pubs, Rachel Olding, sawn-off shotguns, service stations, shootings, SMH, St Vincents, stabbings, streets of fear, Sydney Morning Herald, The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Terror
The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) headlines: Murder rate slides but guns still rule
The Daily Telegraph (Terror) headlines: Streets of fear
The intrepid Rachel Olding of the SMH writes (no doubt from the firing zone of a press release),
“SYDNEY’S murder rate has halved in the past decade, falling to its lowest level in recent history.
But Sydney’s streets are no safer, said Don Weatherburn, the director of the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.
Homicide cases have dropped from 88 in 2001 to 43 this year, reflecting a statewide trend in which murders fell from 119 to 77. The rate of one homicide per 100,000 people is the lowest Dr Weatherburn can remember.”
Some problems:
Ok, so the murder rate has halved from 2001 to 2011, but what is the time period for the state where murders fell from 119 to 77? Rachel doesn’t say. We can’t just assume these things Rachel dear.
The rate is “the lowest Dr Weatherburn can remember.” What, are we relying on Don Weatherburn’s memory now? Doesn’t he have a database to lookup and cite relevant facts? Maybe he had a lost decade of alcohol abuse from 1988 to 1998 and his memory is faulty, well, I wouldn’t know. How old is Don anyway, is he 200 plus and remembers Federation? Useless statement, normal nonsensical so-called statistical reporting from the SMH.
Right, now to the Terror:
“SYDNEY is under siege from gangs of heavily armed robbers terrorising shopkeepers, pub staff and residents.
Meat cleavers, machetes, sawn-off shotguns and axes are among the weapons used in recent weeks as thugs smashed their way into so-called “soft targets” – mostly service stations, bottle shops and licensed premises – demanding cash, wallets, jewellery and mobile phones.
Details of more than 50 of the most violent incidents have been released by police this month.
However they are just the tip of the iceberg, with as many as a dozen more reported every 24 hours according to logs of the police encrypted radio network.
It is a similar story across the state.”
Shit.a.brick, batman! Holy jumping jehoshaphat, one minute I’m reminiscing along with Don’s memory, the next I’m in the middle of machette wielding maniacs invading my quiet sherbet at the local. Which to believe?
Better get back to Don and his idle hours musings, ensconced in his study with Dr Watson down Darlinghurst way. “Bring us some tea, cocaine and a hypodermic needle would you Mrs. Hudson?”
“‘The puzzle is that homicide is coming down but assault isn’t so I don’t think it’s fair to say we’re becoming less violent,” he said. ”One possibility is that emergency medical procedures have improved so fewer people are dying of their injuries.””
Hmmm, yes, very puzzling. It’s a puzzle alright, very perplexing. A preponderance of puzzlement, confusion and failing memory. “What’s that Watson? Massive immigration of low IQ violent types from all over the third world into Sydney where the unemployment rate in some areas is close to 20%? What’s that have to do with assault and robbery?”
“Clive Small, a former detective and police assistant commissioner, said Sydney had come a long way from the ”bloodbaths” of the late 1990s when violence raged in Cabramatta and between members of the Middle Eastern community.
”We seem to go through periods when we’ve got criminals who are actually trying to kill one another and periods when they’re just trying to shoot up someone’s house for payback or just asserting control and those two don’t necessarily go together,” he said.
”At the moment we seem to be having drive-by shootings but no genuine attempts to kill people and that could be part of it. It’s been a while since we’ve had open warfare with gangs trying to kill each other.”
Thank God there’s no open warfare anymore ass. commissioner Small. Thank you Sir for relieving my hemorrhoids. “Hold the SOOV IT cream Mrs. Hudson, things are looking much better now.”
“Four men armed with knives, machetes and pool cues are wanted over the robbery of a hotel at Taree West on Wednesday in which a 54-year-old employee was assaulted and locked with two patrons in a store room as assailants ransacked cash registers.
“In two separate incidents last week, knife-wielding men robbed a convenience store at Griffith and a Bulahdelah service station, while at Berkeley in the Illawarra two men threatened a shopping centre security guard with meat cleavers before escaping with money and cigarettes.
The surge in the number of hold-ups is a major concern for police because it bucks a downward trend that has seen the lowest rates for armed robbery in years.
Also alarming is the increase in gangs and lone bandits hitting multiple targets in a single night.
These included an 18-year-old man charged over a rampage in which he allegedly robbed six service stations armed with a hammer and knife at Liverpool and Casula within two hours on December 19. Later the same day two men armed with pistols are believed to have held up two pubs at Glebe and Newtown.
The escalating violence is also happening on the street, with growing numbers of people being threatened and assaulted by armed hoodlums who rob them of wallets, phones and personal items.”
“Bring back the SOOV IT please Mrs Hudson, quick smart. Put on your gloves Watson, this will require some exploratory work.”
Let me see: Meat cleavers, machetes, sawn-off shotguns, axes, service stations, bottle shops, licensed premises, pubs, clubs, homes hit by drive-bys, shootings, stabbings, pool cues, knives, gangs and lone bandits. There’s a poem in here just waiting to get out.
“Armed robbery is at historically low levels, with the long-term trend significantly down,” Robbery and Serious Crime Squad commander Det Supt Luke Moore said.
“In the month of December to date there has been a slight rise in the number of armed robberies recorded in NSW when compared to the same period in 2010.
“There have been some serial offences like those in southwestern Sydney a couple of weeks ago, for which an alleged offender is before the courts, that have pushed the number of reported offences in December up, but these are expected to level out.”
Oh, thank you Det Supt Moore, nothing to worry about at all. For a minute there I thought my bowels were about to prolapse through sheer fear.
“A shift in management structure from micro-management or ”management by fear” to engaging in more community initiatives has resulted in a tougher stance on alcohol-related and organised crime, said a policing expert and former detective, Michael Kennedy.
Knives are still the most common murder weapon, accounting for 35 per cent of murders.”
Ah, community initiatives in cracking down on alcohol-related happenings. The cursed alcohol rears its ugly head once again at the SMH. All the world’s problems can always be sheeted home to alcohol. Before the time of alcohol people only ever used knives, pool cues and machetes for backyard gardening. You know, prune the crab apple with a meat cleaver, that sort of thing. Not now though. Not since alcohol was introduced into our society 6,000 years ago. But, there’s nothing like a good dose of anarcho-tyranny to straighten out all the curly ones.
”Unfortunately we are excellent at dealing with stabbings,” said Gordian Fulde, the head of emergency at St Vincent’s Hospital.”
What an obtusely witty thing to say Mr Fulde. With one fell swoop the Gordian Knot is cut, and all the world’s problems vanish in a thrice.
“It comes as police urged shop keepers, hotel staff and the public caught in the middle of a hold-up to do whatever the assailants asked – not to be a hero and not to make sudden movements.”
Right, so. All’s well and good then.
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Update:
Police hunt shooter after man gunned down
“December 31, 2011 – 9:25AM
A young man has been shot dead at Chester Hill in Sydney’s west.
Police and emergency services were called to a house in Biara Street about 1.50am today after reports of the shooting.
They administered CPR but the man died at the scene.
Residents in Biara Street were told to stay indoors while police investigated.
Anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in the area is asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
AAP
Poor, silly bastard probably made a sudden movement.
Police release CCTV following armed robbery – Pyrmont
“About 8:45pm, Friday 9 December 2011, a man ran into the store on Bunn Street and approached the counter.
The man, who was armed with a gun and wearing a hood over his head, threatened the female employee before helping himself to cash from the register. He then ran from the store and fled the scene prior to police arrival.
…
The first male is described as being of Indian/Sub-continental appearance, medium build with dark brown hair and wearing a black short-sleeve t-shirt with ‘Henley’ on the front, light grey track pants, white joggers and a grey satchel bag.
The second male is described as being of Indian/Sub-continental appearance, medium build and wearing a black short-sleeve t-shirt and white ‘Adidas’ shorts.”