7 April 2012

Bashed in Garema Place

| johnboy
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ACT Policing is appealing for witnesses to a robbery in Garema Place, Civic in the early hours of the morning, (Saturday, April 7).

About 12.40 am a man was walking towards King O’Malley’s pub when he was approached by two males. One male, without provocation punched the victim in the head a number of times knocking him to the ground.

During the altercation the male took the victims wallet which contained a small sum of cash.

The victim was left with a bleeding mouth and nose, his left eye was swollen shut and he had grazes across his forehead. He was also having difficulty breathing and was taken to the Canberra Hospital by ACT Ambulance.

The victim was unable to provide police with a description of the offenders.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or may be able to assist with the investigation is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via the Crime Stoppers website on www.act.crimestoppers.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously.

[Courtesy ACT Policing]

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scorpio63 said :

BigFeet: The term ‘hearsay’ was used loosely in the context of the following meaning: ‘without evidence provided (the CCTV camera was not facing towards the vehicles parked at the back of the Centre) at the time, along with the fact that there were no witnesses to the crime, my story was in fact just that: a story/account of an incident given to police at that time. It remains ‘Hearsay’ given there were no witnesses or evidence to support my complaint of the incident until my personal property is recovered and matched (identified) and/or proven that the crime had taken place..

That is not even remotely ‘hearsay’ . That is direct evidence of what you saw, perceived and felt. The fact that you have personally identified one of the persons involved by a ‘chance encounter’ is also direct evidence.

It is as far from ‘hearsay’ as is legally possible.

The article and statistics were included in a Canberra Times article written by Roman Quadvlieg.

The common sense I referred to in my last post Deckard was raised as an indicator that if for example Calwell have 60 long term residents residing in the suburb over an 18 year period and all were robbed within the past 3 years for the first time (many not reported however included in theNeighbourhood Watch Scheme and Pamphlet ) common sense would dictate that crime has increased in that particular suburb.

You may not have resided in the one suburb for 18 or 20 years or may not reside in a suburb whereby crime levels have risen.

Most colleagues, friends and family of mine who have resided for over 18 years in the same suburb have been targetted for the first time (all within the last 3 years).

In my opinion I stand by what I have stated – crime in Canberra (given the growing population) has increased rapidly.

scorpio63 said :

Watson: Roman Quadvlieg’s figures and story during 2011 provided evidence that figures had risen in most Canberra suburbs directly relating to crime and robbery. Apart from that, quite a few people for the first time residing in Tuggeranong and other parts of the A.C.T. over the past 25 years have all been victims of robberies during 2010 and 2011 including most neighbours.

http://www.police.act.gov.au/crime-and-safety/crime-statistics.aspx

Where does it say that here? Numbers look fairly stable to me.

And besides I was robbed 10 years ago and haven’t since so the crime rate must be going down :-S

Watson: Roman Quadvlieg’s figures and story during 2011 provided evidence that figures had risen in most Canberra suburbs directly relating to crime and robbery. Apart from that, quite a few people for the first time residing in Tuggeranong and other parts of the A.C.T. over the past 25 years have all been victims of robberies during 2010 and 2011 including most neighbours. Sometimes çommon sense’prevails – stats are not always accurate.
BigFeet: The term ‘hearsay’ was used loosely in the context of the following meaning: ‘without evidence provided (the CCTV camera was not facing towards the vehicles parked at the back of the Centre) at the time, along with the fact that there were no witnesses to the crime, my story was in fact just that: a story/account of an incident given to police at that time. It remains ‘Hearsay’ given there were no witnesses or evidence to support my complaint of the incident until my personal property is recovered and matched (identified) and/or proven that the crime had taken place.
DTC: A victim is not a witness to crime – a victim is a victim, a witness is a witness of crime being committed against another person or thing.

bigfeet said :

Also, you obviously have no idea what the legal definition of ‘hearsay’ is.

Yes, a witness (victim) identifying the perpatrator is called evidence. It would be hearsay if a third party told you that the women was the perpatrator.

If you have told the police that you have identified the person who assaulted you and the police are saying they cannot act, its either because they dont think your evidence will stand up in court (which is not necessarily a reflection on you, a single person witness vs what I’m sure will be alibi evidence from ‘friends’) or they dont believe you.

scorpio63 said :

After having been a victim of robbery for the first time in my life (at Calwell Shopping Centre by 3 adults) robbery is increasing rapidly. ……………
….. My point commenting is that robbery in all shapes and forms has increased in most suburbs..

Yes, I’m sure that a 100 % increase to “Robberies On Me” does make it seem like robberies in general are increasing. But it actually means nothing.

Most studies show that you are less likely to be a victim of a crime (almost any crime) now than at almost any time in the past.

Also, you obviously have no idea what the legal definition of ‘hearsay’ is.

Watson said :

To those who claim robberies and random acts of violence are “increasing rapidly”, do you have any figures to back that statement up with? Not saying you are wrong, I just like to base my judgement on whether or not my town is turning into a ghetto on more than just anecdotal evidence.

If we live in a town where this kind of crime generates a police media release then things really aren’t so bad.

Captain RAAF7:42 pm 07 Apr 12

Watson said :

To those who claim robberies and random acts of violence are “increasing rapidly”, do you have any figures to back that statement up with? Not saying you are wrong, I just like to base my judgement on whether or not my town is turning into a ghetto on more than just anecdotal evidence.

Good question!

Ok, going by assaults only, in the suburb called ‘city’ on the AFP crime stats page, there were;

332 in 2007
358 in 2008
327 in 2009
379 in 2010
353 in 2011

For comparison, lets look at another sh?thole, Ngunnawal, again assaults only;

30 in 2007
39 in 2008
47 in 2009
43 in 2010
37 in 2011

Southside lets look at Banks;

20 in 2007
17 in 2008
16 in 2009
17 in 2010
22 in 2011

Maybe a slight trend upwards…..maybe? But you really need to compare apples with apples etc but it looks like Civic is a place to avoid.

Watson said :

To those who claim robberies and random acts of violence are “increasing rapidly”, do you have any figures to back that statement up with? Not saying you are wrong, I just like to base my judgement on whether or not my town is turning into a ghetto on more than just anecdotal evidence.

It’s not statistical info but just have a look at the “Related Content” links at the top of these comments as a start.

To those who claim robberies and random acts of violence are “increasing rapidly”, do you have any figures to back that statement up with? Not saying you are wrong, I just like to base my judgement on whether or not my town is turning into a ghetto on more than just anecdotal evidence.

dvaey said :

Its a pretty big assumption to think someone randomly decided to punch on in the heart of the city while surrounded by dozens of people and likely police within view for no reason. Why does it have to be a ‘big assumption’? Maybe they had words or their lady companions had words, and it sparked a punch.. it doesnt have to be a ‘big’ assumption, to be saying theres more to the story than just a random assault.

“During the altercation the male took the victims wallet which contained a small sum of cash.

Most acts of “heat of the moment” provoked violence do not result in the angry person also going through the victims possessions and stealing stuff.,.

Tetranitrate2:49 pm 07 Apr 12

mezza76 said :

At the risk of sounding like im retired – is there much of a Police presence in Garema at nights? I work at Civic and I’ve never seen a police person anywhere – any credible police study will show that a decent visable police presence will deter this kind of drunken opportunistic crime (see Queen St Mall in Brisbane comes to mind – where crime is lower on the mall due to the CCTV and police walking the beat). I agree (in part) with dazzab – it does seem this story is run every weekend…

There is a regular police presence – they do foot patrols around the place and you’ll usually see a paddywaggon parked somewhere in the city. (presumably just in case).

Unfortunately they can’t be everywhere though, and given these scum have probably decided beforehand they’d mug somebody, they probably did think to have a quick look around before approaching the victim.

dvaey said :

BelcoMan said :

dazzab said :

Although there’s probably more to this story than being reported.

That’s a pretty big assumption. Unless you know something you’re not letting on?

Its a pretty big assumption to think someone randomly decided to punch on in the heart of the city while surrounded by dozens of people and likely police within view for no reason. Why does it have to be a ‘big assumption’? Maybe they had words or their lady companions had words, and it sparked a punch.. it doesnt have to be a ‘big’ assumption, to be saying theres more to the story than just a random assault.

Given the information, we have no reason to think that there any ‘lady companions’ present, you’re just pulling this out of your ass. While not an incredibly common occurrence, it’s not at all difficult to believe, bystanders rarely do a damn thing.
If he was walking to O’Malleys from the direction of the Canberra center or even from the Mcdonalds on the corner it’s quite possible that there wouldn’t be anyone else particularly nearby.
Particularly on good Friday – friday’s aren’t that busy compared to Saturdays anyway. In fact I’d there’d probably be quite a few clubs that didn’t bother opening last night.

Instant Mash1:18 pm 07 Apr 12

It’s stuff like this that makes me glad that I rarely go out in Civic.

Savages. Civic is such a hole, I don’t know why people still bother.

I hope the victim gets better. All that trauma for ‘a small sum of cash’ .. really terrible.

At the risk of sounding like im retired – is there much of a Police presence in Garema at nights? I work at Civic and I’ve never seen a police person anywhere – any credible police study will show that a decent visable police presence will deter this kind of drunken opportunistic crime (see Queen St Mall in Brisbane comes to mind – where crime is lower on the mall due to the CCTV and police walking the beat). I agree (in part) with dazzab – it does seem this story is run every weekend…

Piss poor effort. Hope there are CCTV nearby that may provide some evidence?

BelcoMan said :

dazzab said :

Although there’s probably more to this story than being reported.

That’s a pretty big assumption. Unless you know something you’re not letting on?

Its a pretty big assumption to think someone randomly decided to punch on in the heart of the city while surrounded by dozens of people and likely police within view for no reason. Why does it have to be a ‘big assumption’? Maybe they had words or their lady companions had words, and it sparked a punch.. it doesnt have to be a ‘big’ assumption, to be saying theres more to the story than just a random assault.

After having been a victim of robbery for the first time in my life (at Calwell Shopping Centre by 3 adults) robbery is increasing rapidly. Being vigilant over the years assisted me however on that particular evening I was extremely tired from working long hours and distracted.

The thieves did not score my wallet though as I always take it out of my handbag. A handbag grab scored them a lipstick, foundation, tissues, my mobile and some spare keys (unfortunately)! I pass the thief (one woman) around tuggeranong regularly LOL…police cannot act as a result of nil evidence (ie hearsay).

The thieves were totally unknown to me and I do not have enemies or problems with drugs,gambling, alcohol ie I do not owe people money etc.

My point commenting is that robbery in all shapes and forms has increased in most suburbs.

I was targetted on dusk at the back of the complex near the Gym.

dazzab said :

Although there’s probably more to this story than being reported.

That’s a pretty big assumption. Unless you know something you’re not letting on?

Pretty sad state of affairs when a victim is questioned for being a victim?

It seems that this story is run every weekend now. Civic on a Sat night has never had the best reputation for safety I guess but it’s pretty sad when you can’t walk through a main area without worrying about being mugged. Although there’s probably more to this story than being reported.

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