I've finally caught up with Armed robbery in Australia: 2008 National Armed Robbery Monitoring Program annual report [PDF], a 58 page Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) document by Lance Smith, Kym Dossetor & Maria Borzycki. It was released last month and provides data on armed robberies over several years to 2009.
During 2008 there were 5,686 incidents of armed robbery recorded in Australian states and territories. The AIC suggests that the number of victims of armed robbery has decreased by 28% since 2003, with a smaller decrease of approximately 10% in the number of victims compared with 2007 data (6,427 in 2008 compared with 7,133 in 2007 and 8,865 in 2003). 38% of all armed robberies involving individual victims occurred in a retail setting (inc shopping centres, jewellers, pawn shops and gambling locations such as TABs). 48% occurred in an open setting (recreational space, transport-related, open spaces and street and footpath). The number of service station armed robberies decreased from 34% in 2007 to 32% in 2008.
The average age of a victim was 30 years (66% of male victims and 55% of female victims were under the age of 30 years). Males were more than three times more likely to be victimised than females (33.5 per 100,000 for males versus 9.9 per 100,000 for females).
Knives were the most commonly used weapon (51%). Armed robberies involving firearms accounted for 13% of all weapons used in armed robbery in 2008. Firearms were used in a higher percentage of robberies in banking and financial settings (45%) and licensed premises (39%) than in other locations. Knives were the most common weapon used in the majority of locations (eg corner stores, supermarkets and takeaways 62%; post offices and newsagents 58%; open spaces 58%).
67% of armed robberies occurred between 6 pm and 6 am, with 43% between 6 pm and 12 am.
The most common theft inolved cash (56%), followedby electrical goods (inc mobile phones (16%). Contrary to belief that you can make a fine living from knocking over a bank with a sawnoff (using a keyboard is more rewarding) armed robbery offenders netted an average $1,662 per incident in 2008, up from $1,066 per incident in 2007. The median for the value of what was stolen in armed robbery incidents in 2008 was $270 and the mode (the figure occurring the most often) was $300. The highest average gains for offenders were from incidents where a firearm was used ($4,833). The AIC notes that some of the highest average value gains for a weapon/location combination (with more than one incident) were for 'other' weapon robberies at pharmacies ($28,038) and firearm robberies at licensed premises ($18,777).
What do the offenders look like? The authors drew on data for 3,425 armed robbery offenders involved in 2,157 incidents. The typical incident involved a lone offender (64% of incidents). The more offenders that were involved in an armed robbery, the more likely it was that a firearm was used (incidents involving lone offenders involved firearms 11% of the time compared with 33% for five offenders). The average age of lone offenders was 26 years compared with 19 years of age for groups involving five offenders. The average age of offenders varied with location, with older offenders tending to target banking/financial locations and pharmacies (all 30 years).
