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