It's Un-Australian !

This weekend brought news of a savage attack at a suburban playing field at the end of a junior rugby game.  Without warning, a nineteen year old man produced a kitchen knife and stabbed a player from one of the teams and two spectators, before fleeing the scene.

Police and ambulances were called and two men are now in hospital in a serious but stable condition.  The third suffered light injuries and was treated and allowed home, and a search for the attacker involved the police helicopter and ground units.

The police successfully tracked the offender to a house nearby and arrested him.  He also had wounds and he was taken to hospital for treatment, where he remains under police guard.  The police took possession of a 15 centimetre kitchen knife and this will be used in evidence when the matter goes to court. 

What is obvious is that this young man went to a suburban football game armed with a knife and that is simply un-Australian.  In the past history of this country arguments were settled in fist fights and the end result was nothing more serious than a black eye or a bloody nose.  The police report that when they break up brawling youths it is not now unexpected to find a trove of deadly weapons and the outcome of these fights is often serious injury.

They illustrate this tendency where a man was found beaten and unconscious and looks likely to lose the sight in one eye.  A gang of nine young men decided to beat up a complete stranger and even when he lay on the ground they continued to beat him with baseball bats and kick him about the head. Sadly, there was no objective to this fury beyond the group having what they termed " fun " !

Being in possession of a knife is a criminal offence but the courts are reluctant to send young men to prison, specially for first offences.  Our jails are brutal places, often referred to as " the university of crime " and drug access is more readily available than on Sydney streets.  The liaisons made in prison often lead to an unending life of crime.

Unfortunately, Australia is gaining a gun culture and this is closely associated with the drug trade.  Our bulk container trade hides the import of both drugs and guns and the profit from the drug trade means  that the drug traders need to arm themselves for protection from the criminal fraternity seeking to rob them of their money.  The money market is rife with schemes to " launder " drug money and this becomes a " cat and mouse " game between law enforcement and the legitimate points of money exchange. A gun in criminal hands is no longer unusual.

We are fast entering the era where gang bosses travel with an escort of heavily armed protectors and the streets are becoming dangerous places for ordinary citizens.  The elimination of rivals is now often by way of assassination and a street ambush can involved innocent people.  It is this urge to carry protection that seems to be trickling down and resulting in young men carrying a hidden knife for personal safety.

Despite knives being considered very un-Australian that is reality on the streets of this country today, and even that is fast being replaced with a growing gun culture !