HEROIN DROUGHT DRIVES UP ARMED ROBBERIES

Armed robberies in four areas of Sydney have soared 34 per cent in two
years - fuelled partly by a heroin drought, the NSW Bureau of Crime
Statistics said today.

Bureau director Dr Don Weatherburn said the dramatic increase in the two
years to December 2001 was restricted to just four areas - Blacktown,
Canterbury-Bankstown, St George-Sutherland and central western Sydney
taking in Holroyd, Auburn and Parramatta.

"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 $218 to $381. The purity of heroin
also fell," Dr Weatherburn said.

"Heroin users who wanted to maintain their level of heroin use in the face
of these changes may have been tempted to commit more robberies to purchase
their supplies of heroin.

"That may be why the increases in robbery are restricted to just a few areas."

The other main findings to emerge in the report showed the recorded rates
of crime in most categories remained stable, but recorded rates of assault
and fraud rose.

The recorded rates of home break-ins and some sexual offences fell.

Offences in the category of indecent assault, acts of indecency and other
sexual offences fell by six per cent, while home break-ins fell by about 3
per cent.

The recorded rate of assault rose by about 8 per cent and the recorded rate
of fraud rose about 16 per cent.

The increase in assault came about as a result of increases in both
domestic (up 10 per cent) and non-domestic assault (up 6 per cent).

State Police Minister Michael Costa today announced a new armed robbery
response team would be set up with "analysts and detectives to look at the
problem of armed robbery within a range of areas".