Crime in Other Places in the World !

[Michael Alexander]

We always read about how bad things are in ZA, I'm gonna post news topics of similar things happening around the world, just to show that we are not alone:

"Man critical after brutal assault

   

July 26, 2008 - 1:57PM

A group of men blocked a Sydney roadway before brutally assaulting a car passenger with a baseball bat, leaving the 26-year-old man with head injuries.

Police say the man remains in hospital in a critical but stable condition after the incident at Doonside, in Sydney's west, about 12.20am (AEST) today.

"Two males were driving on Knox Road when they were forced to stop due to 10 men blocking the roadway," police said in a statement.

"The passenger of the Commodore, a 26-year-old Doonside man, got out of the car and confronted the group."

Police say an argument broke out before the man was punched repeatedly in the face, then struck to the side of the head with a baseball bat.

"(He) collapsed to the ground and the 10 men fled the scene in their vehicles," police say.

Police and ambulance officers attended and the injured man was taken to Westmead Hospital.

A 29-year-old Blacktown man was arrested early today and charged with maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and common assault.

He is due to appear before the Parramatta Bail Court today.

The police are continuing their investigations.

Anyone with information on the incident is urged to contact Blacktown Police or Crime Stoppers by calling 1800 333 000."

[Michael Alexander]

"Woman shot during dairy robbery
3:54PM Saturday July 26, 2008

A woman has been shot during an aggravated robbery in West Auckland this afternoon.

Police Inspector Kerry Watson said the woman received minor injuries and was receiving medical attention after being shot with "a long barrelled firearm".

He said police were called to the New Lynn dairy shortly before 3pm.

Police are seeking information from the public who may have seen a silver coloured vehicle leaving the area on Great North road towards New Lynn.

- NZHERALD STAFF"

[Malcolm Bertoni]

Crime in quiet Tasmania has gone up by 10-20% in the past year or so.  We only have a population of 1/2 million in the whole island so its shows whats going on.  Luckily its mostly assaults, robberies and petty crimes. 

I'm waiting for someone to be smart and start knocking off the petrol tankers what with the petrol going through the roof.  Now there's an idea. . . .

[Tamara Hogan]

 
Wow THAT BAD Malcolm? Knew it was going up, but thats pretty big. Still people feel so safe here they think going to Melbourne or Brisbaine is risky! LOL

[Michael Alexander]

"Drive-by victim killed in 'volley of shots' - police
10:57AM Sunday July 27, 2008

Waikato police are appealing for information after a 28-year-old man was killed in a volley of shots fired from a car early this morning.

Detective Inspector Peter Devoy said the local man was shot outside a house in McGowan street in Waharoa, near Matamata, about 1am.

He said the shooting victim had earlier been involved in a disagreement at another property in the small community.

Police have cordoned off two properties on the street and are speaking to a number of witnesses to the fatal shooting.

"It appears our victim has been at another address where a disagreement of some sort has happened, they have left and were standing outside the McGowan St property when a car approached from a westerly direction," Mr Devoy said.

"Pulling up on the roadside near the victim's group someone in the car has fired a volley of shots, a number of which have struck our victim."

Mr Devoy said the car returned to McGowan Street a short time later and fired a second volley of shots, but no-one was injured.

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The Waikato Armed Offenders Squad arrived in Waharoa about 3am.

"About 5am a Hedley St address was secured by armed officers and this is currently cordoned off to allow forensic experts and Police investigators to carry out examinations," said Mr Devoy.

He urged Waharoa and Matamata residents to remain calm and to co-operate with investigators.

"One of the advantages of living in small communities is that everyone knows everyone else, we want to tap into that knowledge," he said.

Anyone with information should contact Matamata police station on (07) 888 7117.

- NZHERALD STAFF"

[Michael Alexander]

From NZ today,

"McDonalds manager held at gunpoint during peak hour
2:45PM Friday August 08, 2008
A man, with no mask, held a McDonald's manager at gun point while customers continued to eat their meals in the restaurant. Photo / AP

A man, with no mask, held a McDonald's manager at gun point while customers continued to eat their meals in the restaurant. Photo / AP

A man has broken into the back of a Hamilton McDonalds and held a gun to the manager, demanding money.

Detective Daryl Smith said the man broke into the Te Rapa McDonalds at about 7.30pm last night.

"There were quite a few people coming and going from the store as well as eating their meals inside at the time of the robbery," said Mr Smith.

He said police are concerned that the man did not try and disguise himself even though the McDonalds was busy.

Mr Smith said the carpark and Shell petrol station next door were also busy and police are speaking to witnesses.

He said the man is described as in his twenties, Caucasian, was wearing overalls and is about 175cm tall.

Mr Smith said anyone with information should call Hamilton police on 07 858 6200.

- NZ HERALD STAFF"

[Carl Wrbka]

  I had to laugh when I read this one. Didn't the gunman know he could have held up the manager with nothing more than a Big Mac? Just as dangerous as a firearm nowdays.

[georg ruf jr.]

 

[Patricia Lotte]

Dubai also has its crime stories, with the most recent one being the murder of a Lebanese singer who lived here. Unofficial sources say that the crime was parrticularly gruesome. The murder suspect was apparently arrested in Egypt (he boarded the first plane out of Dubai after the crime) but since then there have been rumours that he accidently died in custody. Today they're saying he's alive again. Whoever got him to do the dirty job is obviously trying to clear all traces that could lead back to them.


Man arrested for murder of Lebanese singer Suzan Tamim  

Dubai: Suzan Tamim's suspected killer, a 39-year-old Arab national, was arrested in an Arab country three days after the Lebanese singer was found dead in her apartment in Dubai, police said on Sunday.

Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Acting Chief of Dubai Police, confirmed that the suspected murderer was identified five hours after the police surveyed Tamim's apartment, but was arrested three days later because he fled the UAE immediately after committing the murder.

Police refused to identify his nationality and the country where he was arrested.

In Cairo, an Egyptian police source told Gulf News that two Egyptian nationals had been arrested in connection with the murder.

Arabic newspapers reported that an Egyptian businessman and two security men were involved in the crime. An Egyptian confessed that he committed the crime in return for $2 million. However, Dubai police did not confirm the reports.

Al Mazeina said that Tamim did not know her killer but he had tricked the singer into letting him into her apartment by pretending to be a representative of the real estate company from which she had bought her flat.

In less than 12 minutes the killer had entered the building, slit Tamim's throat and then rushed to Dubai International Airport.

Dubai Police earlier said the 31-year-old singer was killed several hours before her body was discovered.

Police had received a report from one of her relatives who lived in Sharjah, and went to her apartment at Burj Al Remal building in Dubai Marina on Monday night where they discovered her body.

Suzan had been living alone in the building for the past eight months. A former winner of the Lebanese talent show Studio Al Fan in 1996, Suzan enjoyed many hit singles during her early career.

[georgswa (Georg Ruf) (RIP)]

3 killed in shooting in a smaller town in Germany

One innocent young women, mother of 3, was also killed standing in the line of fire

2 of the murderers have been arrested very soon, dont know the details yet

Apparently turks, walked in to an ice cream cafe and shot other turks

One can only assume at the moment, will know more in the news tonight

[Michael Alexander]

from the NZ Herald!

"Family violence blamed for rise in crime figures
4:00AM Thursday Oct 02, 2008





Violent crime has climbed around the country, fuelled by a surge in reporting of family violence.

Police say an 11.1 per cent increase in violence offences in the year to June is due almost entirely to family violence, which recorded a 29 per cent rise in the same period.

National crime statistics released yesterday show a total of 58,761 violence offences recorded in the year, up from 52,883 the previous year.

But Assistant Police Commissioner Grant Nicholls said the increase in recorded family violence did not necessarily equate to an increase in offending, but was rather the result of new mandatory training for front-line officers on investigating and detecting the problem, and decreased tolerance of the crime in the community.

"Many people may now be reporting family violence offences to police which in the past may not have come to our attention at all."

Agencies working in the area agree that the statistics likely reflect increased awareness and reporting of family violence.

"Unfortunately, it's going to look worse before it gets better," said Jane Drumm, executive director of Preventing Violence in the Home.

Ms Drumm said police had previously believed they were being informed of only 18 per cent of family violence incidents that were occurring, so the increase was heartening from that perspective.

"To us, who work in the field, this is a really good sign that actually the real prevalence is starting to be reported and coming out, and that means that people can get the assistance they need."

Heather Henare of the National Collective of Independent Women's Refuges also believed awareness of family violence had improved and said one of the contributing factors was the "It's Not OK" advertising campaign.

But Ms Henare said the fact the country still had so many reported incidents of family violence was "a national shame".

The statistics showed increases in assaults on children, which Children's Commissioner Cindy Kiro said was likely a flow-on effect from increased reporting of family violence.

Dr Kiro said most child abuse happened in the home and protocols introduced in the last two years meant police were now more likely to notify Child, Youth and Family of at-risk children at family violence callouts.

She said children were often "invisible victims" of family violence and high levels of violence against them had been under-reported.

More than 1300 assaults on children under 14 were recorded in the year to June, up from less than 1000 the previous year.

Police Minister Annette King said the figures showed family violence remained a scourge, but police deserved much credit for uncovering the level of the problem.

She also praised the fact they had resolved nearly 10,000 offences of all types in the past year and said part of the reason was a 2500 staff increase.

But National Party leader John Key criticised the Government for claiming it was on top of violent crime, saying the statistics had made an "unrelenting climb" every year that Labour was in power.

In addition to the increase in violence offences, the statistics showed an 5.9 per cent rise in drugs and anti-social offences.

Methamphetamine offences dropped 18 per cent from their peak two years ago, while dishonesty offences - which make up 52 per cent of all offences - fell 5 per cent.

Graffiti and tagging was deemed responsible for an increase in property damage offences in most districts.

MAIN CHANGES
* Violence: Up 11.1%
* Family violence: Up 29%
* Drugs/anti-social: Up 5.9%
* Dishonesty offences: Down 5%

IN YOUR REGION

AUCKLAND AND WAITEMATA

Auckland mirrored the rest of the country in terms of violent crime, experiencing an increase in recorded offences from 4893 in 2006/07 to 5333 in 2007/08.

The number of drugs and anti-social offences also grew, while dishonesty offences dropped, following the same pattern in Waitemata, where overall crime showed a 1 per cent reduction when population growth was taken into account.

Violent crime in Waitemata rose 4 per cent, significantly less than the national average of 11.1 per cent.

Waitemata district commander Acting Superintendent John Kelly said much of the violence was driven by alcohol and to a certain extent drugs, but it was encouraging to see women reporting family violence in greater numbers than ever before.

COUNTIES-MANUKAU

Violence offences climbed sharply in Counties-Manukau, from 7889 in 2006/07 to 9383 in 2007/08, while the overall crime figure remained almost the same as the previous year.

Homicides, abductions, robberies, assaults, intimidation and threats all rose, with the district showing a particularly high rise in serious assaults.

WAIKATO

Waikato police celebrated crime reductions in several areas, including a 4.6 per cent drop in residential burglaries and a 17 per cent drop in non-residential burglaries.

In Hamilton, area commander Inspector Rob Lindsay said work done with the city council and other agencies had contributed to a 30 per cent reduction in overall crime.

However, violence remained an area of concern in the Waikato, where 297 more incidents were reported than in the previous year.

CANTERBURY

Canterbury's crime decreased slightly when population growth was taken into account, and violence offences grew by only 2 per cent, or 9 per cent less than the national average."

[Michael Alexander]

Attacker stabs dairy owner
4:00AM Saturday Oct 04, 2008
By Lincoln Tan
A policewoman works at the scene of the attack. Photo / Paul Estcourt

A policewoman works at the scene of the attack. Photo / Paul Estcourt

The owner of an Auckland Lotto store and dairy is in hospital with stab wounds in his neck and back after being attacked late yesterday afternoon.

It was at least the fourth serious attack on an Auckland shop worker this year, and followed a police decision to charge a liquor retailer after an altercation with two youths this week.

In yesterday's attack, a man went into the Lotto store on New Windsor Rd in Avondale and stabbed the owner, said Inspector Karen Lane of the police northern communications centre.

Witnesses told the Herald the injured man was Shashikant Prema, aged 55. They said he had four stab wounds to the neck and back.

A woman in a next-door takeaway bar told NZPA she phoned police after the stabbed man staggered into her shop.

His alleged attacker, a teenage boy, stood outside and waited until police arrived and took him into custody.

The stabbed man was taken to Auckland City Hospital. Late last night, he was in a stable condition.

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Ram Lochan, who owns a nearby superette on New Windsor Rd and knows the victim, said the man had been in New Zealand for about 20 years and had owned the dairy for about 15. He had started selling Lotto tickets only last year.

Mr Lochan, 61, said he had been robbed four times, and he was concerned that shopkeepers were not allowed to protect themselves.

"When we protect ourselves, we get charged - and if we don't we get stabbed. What do we do?" he asked.

Yesterday, the owner of the Gilbert Road Discount Liquor outlet in Otara was charged after an altercation on Tuesday night with two youths who entered his shop.

Varinder Singh was charged with injuring with intent to injure.

Last night, New Windsor residents were shocked at news of the attack in the Lotto shop/dairy.

Customer Kumar Vanga said: "Absolutely shocking. This is happening too close to home."

Rao Vanaguntla said: "What's happening to New Zealand when it's not even safe for someone to run your own small business?"

While police were investigating the stabbing, they were called to a store in nearby Bremner Ave, Mt Roskill, where two youths threatened a shop owner with a knife.

Inspector Lane said no one was injured, and the two offenders had fled.

UNDER ATTACK
* January 22-year-old student Krishna Naidu stabbed to death while working in his family's dairy in Clendon, Manukau City.
* June Father-of-two Navtej Singh shot in the chest with a .22 rifle during a raid on his liquor store in Riverton Drive, Manurewa, and died the next day.
* July Xu Mei Ying, 46, shot in the arm while working at her family's dairy in New Lynn."

[Michael Alexander]

thought that this might interest a few south Africans:

" A rough guide to Wanganui's gangs
4:00AM Sunday Oct 19, 2008




Mongrel Mob

The Mongrel Mob has been active in New Zealand since the 1960s, with its members predominantly from Maori and Pacific communities. The gang is involved in drug dealing, armed robberies, assaults and theft. Patched Mongrel Mob members were responsible for the killing of 2-year-old Jhia Te Tua on May 5 last year. Te Tua's father was a member of the Mongrel Mob's main rival, Black Power.

Black Power

Unlike the Mongrel Mob, which recruits members regardless of their ethnicity, Black Power is a Maori organisation. Formed in the early 1970s, the gang has sought credibility as a political civil rights movement but this has not reduced criminal activity. Rifts are said to have emerged within the gang between older members and more recent recruits who are dealing in hard drugs, such as P.

Hell's Angels

Harley Davidsons are the bike of choice for international motorcycle gang Hell's Angels, who have been active in New Zealand since the early 1960s. The gang is involved in organised crime such as money laundering and drug manufacturing and dealing. Police believe the gang is now co-operating with other gangs in the production and selling of methamphetamines.

Tribesmen

The new gang on the block in Wanganui, police say they have seen an increased presence from the gang since they launched a crackdown on the Mongrel Mob following Jhia's death. Operating across the North Island, members have been convicted of everything from methamphetamine manufacture to murder."

[Michael Alexander]

The uncle of Australian and Queensland rugby league representative Johnathan Thurston has died after a group he was with was attacked at a park south of Brisbane overnight.

Richard Saunders, 38, died early this morning when a fight broke about between two groups in Ewing Park, Woodridge, at around 1am.

Mr Saunders, in one of the groups, died in Logan Hospital a short time after the attack, police said.

A further two men are reportedly in a serious condition in the hospital.

The Australian Rugby League has issued a statement offering condences and saying the Kangaroos will wear black armbands at their game against New Zealand tomorrow night.

"The Australian Rugby League wish to pass on their condolences to Johnathan Thurston's family following news of the tragic death of his uncle, Mr Richard Saunders, in Brisbane last night," it said.

"At this stage, Johnathan has not withdrawn from the team to play New Zealand tomorrow.

"The VB Kangaroos will wear black armbands as a mark of respect tomorrow night.

"The ARL ask you respect Johnathan's privacy in this difficult time."

Queensland police are treating his death as suspicious and are conducting a full investigation into the death.

Police said the attack appeared to have been unprovoked.

Richard Saunder's brother Steven, at the scene today, said he couldn't believe his brother had been killed just two years after his mother had died.

"My brother was one of the persons that was drinking here. He was hit by a pailing and a number of bottles," he told Network Ten.

He said he believed the culprits would be found.

"This community is pretty small ... I will find them.

"I lost my mum two years ago, still trying to grieve over her and now I've got to grive over him," Mr Saunders said.

Earlier today, Police Detective Superintendent David Hutchinson from the South Eastern Region said officers were called to the fight involving up to nine men in Ewing Park at 1am.

"Upon arrival police located three male persons in the park all having sustained severe injuries," he said.

A 38-year-old man, a 53-year-old and 47-year-old had all suffered brute force wounds, including serious head injuries, and were taken by ambulance to Logan Hospital.

The 38-year-old man, later identifed as Mr Saunders, died a short time after arriving at hospital.

The younger man is in a serious condition in hospital while the older man has serious but less severe injuries.

"What we believe is that there were obviously three victims and the other group had around five or six members," Detective Superintendent Hutchinson said.

Detective Superintendent Hutchinson said police did not have any definitive leads into who the other group was made up of, but officers were investigating.

"We've got police from the homicide squad and state crime operations command assisting the Logan detectives," he said.

"There's a number of lines of inquiry at the moment and a number of people are being interviewed who might be able to provide us with some information."

The two men in hospital have as yet been unable to talk with police.

[Carl Wrbka]

Got this on e-mail yesterday.

This happens in Denmark....A supposedly "civilized" and "European Union" country...

This act of barbarism happens once a year in the town of Dantesque in the Faroe Islands, which belong to Denmark.  It is absolutely incredible that no one does a SH ! T to prevent this barbarism that is committed against the Calderon, an intelligent species of dolphin, who have the unfortunately fatal habit of approaching humans out of sheer curiosity. 

The attachment contains some disturbing pictures of the barbarism. Viewer discretion advised.