Knives are out

By Melissa Meehan
POLICE warn of a crackdown on people carrying knives with the number of stabbings across the state on the rise, and as incidences in Greater Dandenong follow the trend.
In the past month there has not been a weekend without a stabbing or knife attack in the region. The past week was no different.
Last Tuesday a domestic dispute at Parkmore Shopping Centre ended in blood as an 18-year-old Dandenong North man stabbed his 19-year-old partner in the back. She was taken to The Alfred hospital in a stable condition.
It is believed he purchased the knife at the shopping centre after a verbal dispute. He man later handed himself in at the Dandenong police station.
The same night police were called to a brawl in Chandler Road, Noble Park when residents saw a group of six men with weapons, including knives approach each other.
On Friday night a 17-year-old male from Noble Park was stabbed up to 20 times during a confrontation between two groups of youths outside a Springvale shopping centre at 11pm. The youth was taken to The Alfred hospital in a serious but stable condition and suffered a number of head wounds.
Two males were arrested, and are helping police with inquiries without charge.
On Monday night two men suffered stab wounds while at the Dandenong Railway Station when they were approached by a lone man. Both received minor injuries and declined medical treatment at the scene.
Greater Dandenong Inspector Charlie Allen said that the increasing violence in the region was no different from anywhere else in Victoria.
“Certainly there have been incidents in Greater Dandenong,” he said.
“But it seems to follow the state-wide trend.”
Insp Allen said that Greater Dandenong police were very focused on public order policing and were currently taking part in many operations to ensure public order was achieved in the region.
He said police would soon launch an operation in Noble Park to curb drinking on the streets.
“Alcohol consumption is often a precursor behaviour to public disorder,” he said.
“And more visible police patrols will also help to curb the violence.”
He said the issue was something both police and the community had to tackle together.
“We need to work out why people carry knives and are prepared to use them,” he said.
“We need to focus on the prevention and detection of knives as well as looking at the underpinning problems.”
This week the State Government called a month’s amnesty on handing in knives and other weapons.
Police Minister Bob Cameron said that while the overall number of robberies had dropped, police were disturbed by findings that 752 robberies over the past year involved knives and that 58 armed robberies were carried out by children aged 10 to 14.