Youth target in knife-crime review

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The Government is considering a proposal to limit the sale of knives to young people amid concerns over the number of knife crimes.

The option is suggested in a Ministry of Justice review of knife possession, released yesterday, which looks at ways to address knife violence.

The review was ordered after Daryl Graydon, 26, was stabbed to death on an Auckland street by a man with a kitchen knife.

In sentencing the attacker, who has name suppression, to life imprisonment, Justice Raynor Asher suggested a parliamentary review of knife possession laws.

Unreasonable possession of a knife in public can lead to a $2000 fine or a three-month sentence.

A more serious offence under the Crimes Act - possession of offensive weapons - carries a sentence of up to two years, and requires a mandatory sentence if the person has committed the same offence in the previous two years.

The review said laws and penalties for illegal knife possession were adequate, and that knife crimes statistics had been more or less stable in the past decade.

But there had been a slight rise in rates of apprehension - when police deal with a person in some manner - for possession of an offensive weapon, 19 per cent of which involved knives.

The review said raising this penalty to three years was an option, but it was likely to increase the prison population and the number of offenders on home detention and community sentences.

New Zealand has no age restriction on the sale of knives, but in Britain it is illegal to sell them to people under 18.

"In the UK the restriction seems to have had little or no impact on public safety," the review said.

But it added that such a law would have a precedent in the restriction on selling spray-paint where it might be used for graffiti in South Auckland.

"As a first step, a voluntary accord could be developed in association with retailers, local authorities and police."

Retailers Association chief executive John Albertson said his members would support a dialogue on a voluntary scheme, which would be better than any compulsory measure.

Green MP Keith Locke questioned whether prohibiting sales in shops would have any practical effect.

"The sorts of people who are going to carry and use knives are the sorts of people who could easily circumvent any prohibition."

Although apprehension rates were largely stable between 1999 and 2008, there was an 80 per cent increase in apprehensions in the 14- to 16-year-old age group, from 14 youths per 10,000 population to 25.2. For 17- to 20-year-olds it rose from 23 to 32 per 10,000.

The Government has also been advised, by the Youth Justice Independent Advisory Group, to be aware of overseas trends of violent knife crime by youths.

"In London we understand there are bins outside tube stations that say, 'Bin a knife, save a life'," said Principal Youth Court Judge Andrew Becroft, who chairs the group.

"We know there are concerns on the west coast of the United States, and in Melbourne and Sydney, about youth knife crime. Without being alarmist, we need to be aware of the trends on the basis that much of what happens in those areas eventually replicates in New Zealand."

The review said police did not appear to need extra search powers.

Justice Minister Simon Power will consider the options and make recommendations to the Cabinet in six to eight weeks.

THE CHOICES

Options on lowering knife crime

* Developing a voluntary accord between retailers, police and local authorities to limit the sale of knives to young people.
* Increase penalty for possession of an offensive weapon from two years to three years.
* Education in schools on the dangers of carrying knives.
* Using mentoring in the Government's Fresh Start programmes to lower knife-related violence.
* Improve information sharing in the justice sector to provide better information on knife incidents.