Return to the " Razor Gang " Days !

The city of Sydney had a colourful past in the days of sly grog shops and brothels back in the 1920's. Those were the days of " the Push " when violent characters earned their living by robbing people at night on the mean streets of the inner west.

We had our time of gang warfare and they were known as " Razor gangs " because their weapon of choice was the cut throat razor in wide use in those days.   The law prescribed prison time for those caught with a pistol but if a search revealed a razor the criminal could claim it was for personal hygiene - for shaving.  Criminals quickly learned that they were immune from prosecution if caught with this implement.

It is disturbing that we have lately seen a surge in crime with violent attacks on petrol stations and small convenience stores.  Usually one person working alone is confronted by a bandit armed with a knife or gun and the intention of cleaning out the money in the till.   The secondary target is cigarettes.   High value merchandise that is easily converted into cash openly in the pub or at a local market.

This past weekend the Sydney crime scene returned to a vision of the deep past when four people were violently robbed in inner west streets.  Four separate robberies took place within an hour - between12-20 and 1-30 on Saturday morning - by what police believe was the same two intruders. They are described as young men in their early to mid twenties.  One was of African appearance and the other seemed to have a Middle East background and they made their escapes in a small, dark coloured hatchback car.

All four attacks were on men of different age groups.  They were sudden and unprovoked and the victims were pushed to the ground and savagely kicked an punched.  Their pockets were rifled and wallets, phones and personal items taken.  One of the victims suffered a fractured skull and is in hospital in a serious condition.

All four attacks occurred in close proximity in inner west suburbs and it is evident that the attackers sought men walking alone and this was deliberate and well planned.  The fact that the attackers are identified as being from migrant groups seeking entry to escape civil war and violence will not be helpful  in calming those who oppose this policy.

There is a fear that some migrants do not assimilate and bring the animosities that create violence in their home countries with them to Australia.  That has been a feature of all the migrant waves that have washed onto our shores over many decades, and while the majority settle in and become productive citizens, a small minority turn to crime.

Unfortunately, when crime delivers a reward without the criminal getting caught it usually encourages repetition, and with repetition comes increased police activity.  We should not be too alarmed that these robberies will create a trend.  But the wise will take note of what has just happened and avoid becoming a target by walking alone late at night in suspect parts of the city.

There is not any major city anywhere in the world that is free of such crime !