Pubdate: Thu, 04 Apr 2002 Source: Daily Telegraph (Australia) Copyright: 2002 News Limited Contact: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/113 Author: Anthony Peterson HEROIN UP, ARMED HOLDUPS FOLLOW ARMED robberies soared 34 per cent in the past two years due to a drought in heroin driving up the street price of the drug. The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research yesterday released figures showing the jump in armed robbery - up to 880 incidences in 2001 - was restricted to four Sydney areas. These were Blacktown, Canterbury-Bankstown, St George-Sutherland and Central Western Sydney, encompassing Auburn, Holroyd and Parramatta. Bureau director Don Weatherburn said these regions housed a large population of heroin users and a shortage of the drug had pushed addicts to pursue more serious crimes to find the cash to pay higher prices. "It is a worrying figure. It's a big jump and it comes after a long period when firearm robbery was actually in decline, so it's not only a big jump, it's a fairly sudden jump," he said. Dr Weatherburn said the heroin shortage, which began just after Christmas 2000 and continued through 2001, pushed the price of half a gram of heroin up from $138 to $186 and the price of a gram of heroin up from $218 to $381. At the same time as the prices have climbed, the purity of heroin has fallen. Police Minister Michael Costa reacted immediately with the establishment of a specialist team of officers to tackle the crime. Mr Costa said he had asked Deputy Commissioner Dave Madden to set up an armed robbery response team, which would comprise a core of experienced detectives and intelligence analysts to be based in local area commands. But the Minister stressed that the team was not a replica of the old armed hold-up squads. "That's why we are not going back to the days of Blue Murder. This is clearly a case of setting up specialisation within boundaries," he said. Dr Weatherburn said a small group could be responsible for the majority of armed robberies and once they were captured the rate would fall. The Bureau also found that assault and fraud offences rose over a two-year period to December, 2001, but murder, sexual assault, robbery with a weapon other than a firearm, car theft and malicious damage were among the categories remaining stable. Indecent assaults fell by 6 per cent, while home break-ins dipped by 3 per cent. Dr Weatherburn said there was a problem with the number of handguns on the streets. This prompted Mr Costa to call on the Federal Government to do more to stop importation of illegal firearms. Deputy Commissioner Madden said police were encouraged by reductions in some crimes and indicators of stability in others, but concerned by some upward trends. "It is an unfortunate irony that the reduction in the availability of heroin has possibly contributed to the rise in robberies with firearms," he said. Last year 103 people were murdered, 67,599 assaulted and 90,468 had something stolen from their car across NSW. A recorded 28 per cent increase in stealing from a person was due to a change in the way police classify the offences and was not a real rise in the crime. LATEST CRIME STATISTICS Armed robbery incidences: 880, up 34.1 per cent on 2000 Fraud: 32,098, up 16.3 per cent * Assault: 67,599, up 7.6 per cent * Car theft: 53,727, up 2 per cent Malicious damage: 96,145, up 1.7 per cent Murder: 103, unchanged * House break-ins: 79,799, down 3 per cent Indecent assault: 5082, down 6 per cent Steal from motor vehicle: 90,468, down 1 per cent - --- MAP posted-by: Josh