Knives or other sharp instruments are the most frequently used weapons in armed robberies in Australia, according to a report released by the Australian Institute of Criminology. The report, Weapon Involvement in Armed Robbery, states that knives or other sharp instruments are used in more than half of all armed robbery incidents. The next most commonly used weapons are firearms, which are used in about one-fifth of armed robberies. Syringes (two per cent), blunt instruments or clubs (five per cent) and imitation weapons, threats and intimidation (four per cent) are used in only a small percentage of incidents. These findings are derived from the Armed Robbery Pilot Project which analysed national data on 16,235 armed robberies committed between 1996 and 1998.
Armed robbery by type of weapon in Australia 1996-1998 [see attached PDF for pie chart]
Source
- Mouzos, J. and Carcach, C. 2001, Weapon Involvement in Armed Robbery, Research and Public Policy Series, no. 38, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra.