During 2005-06, there were 283 incidents of homicide, resulting in 301 victims, committed by 336 offenders. This is 34 more incidents than in 2004-05, an increase of 14 percent. There has been an increase in homicides committed by young males, but yearly fluctuations in homicide patterns are quite common, and the increase in the number...

The level of violence is higher among this group (people detained by the police) than in the general population, and, of those who were involved in violence in the previous 12 months, around two-thirds were both perpetrators and victims.

This year’s report includes data from two new sites in Melbourne and Darwin, to give a broader picture of drug use and criminal activity across Australia. The report provides comprehensive data for 2006 and trend analysis from the start of the program in 1999. In 2006 more than half the detainees tested positive to cannabis...

The Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA) project provides police, policy-makers, criminal justice practitioners and other professionals with systematic empirical data on illegal drug use among people detained and brought to a police station or watchhouse at seven sites throughout Australia. The report provides an overview of detainees at each site, including self-reported drug use...

In recent years, legislative reforms have been introduced that seek to restrict the number of weapons in the community. These reforms have centred on knives carried in public places and on firearm ownership and possession. The focus on knives is of particular importance, as according to statistics for both homicides and armed robberies they are...