Bruce in West Oz
Member
Perth break-ins worst in world
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By Ben Harvey
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PERTH is the world's burglary capital, says South Perth Independent MP Phillip Pendal.
He branded the city after a crime study backed by the United Nations exposed Australia as one of the most dangerous nations in the developed world for burglaries, serious bashings, sex assaults and robberies.
Mr Pendal told State Parliament yesterday the UN report was particularly disturbing when read in conjunction with Australian Bureau of Statistics figures which showed twice as many West Australians were burgled per capita as Victorians and a third more than New South Welshmen.
"If, through the ABS, we have sadly declared Perth the burglary capital of Australia, it stands to reason . . . Perth becomes the burglary capital of the globe," he said.
The UN report, which compares crime rates in 17 countries, shows Australians are burgled at twice the average rate - cementing burglary-prone WA as one of the world's worst places for home invasions. More than 24 per cent of Australians experienced one of the 11 types of crimes covered by the survey, meaning they were more likely to be victims of crime than Americans, who are popularly considered to be most at risk.
The International Crime Victims Survey, compiled in conjunction with the UN Inter-Regional Criminal Justice Research Institute, was based on surveys which researchers began compiling in 2000.
Thousands of people from Australia, England, Wales, France, Poland, Sweden, Canada, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Portugal, Scotland, Finland, Belgium, the Netherlands, the US, Spain, Switzerland and Japan were surveyed.
Mr Pendal attacked successive WA governments and police chiefs who he said had been prepared to tolerate the poor clearance rate of burglaries.
"Eighty-six per cent of intruders are getting away scot-free," he said.
http://www.thewest.com.au/20030612/news/perth/tw-news-perth-home-sto101299.html
Since this was printed this a.m., we have had increasing panic and bleating among the politicians, who are now stridently demanding "something be done!"
Official police advice in event of burglary (or "home invasion" if you are present) is to either (a) lock yourself in a room and let the burglars take everything else, or (b) leave immediately via another exit. People who resist are publicly condemned on television as foolhardy or irresponsible or even vigilantes.
Here's the crux of the matter, to my mind: We have "safe storage" laws for firearms. Firearms have to be locked away, dismantled, with bolt and ammo locked away separately. Burglars and home invaders know with a 99.9% certainty that they are going to face unarmed resistance. Walking along a suburban street to them must be the same as one of us walking down the aisles of the supermarket -- "Hmmmm, what will I have next?"
To the self-serving politicians who want "something done" about this -- return to us, publicly and loudly, the right to perceive our home as our castle and to defend it against all transgressors -- with firearms if we deem that response necessary.
Sadly, they will simply legislate to make us even more prisoners in our own homes, by making alarms and safety screens on doors and windows compulsory or some similar tomfoolery.
Don't ever be lulled into thinking that "safe storage" is benign -- even if it is "for the children".
Bruce