Living on edge: understanding the social context of knife carriage

Media coverage of incidents involving young people and weapons gives the strong impression that we have much to fear from an increasing threat of youth violence. The growing perception in the community is that more and more young people are arming themselves to commit crimes of violence or enhance their reputation amongst peers. Despite the high level of public and governmental concern, little is known about patterns of weapon acquisition, carriage or use among Australian adolescents. This study represents a collaborative effort between RMIT University, the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria, Victoria Police and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons which was funded by the Department of Justice through the Victorian Law Enforcement Drug Fund. The project commenced in February 2000 and concluded in January 2004. The aim of this report is to provide practitioners, policy makers and the wider community with a better understanding of the perceptions, motivations and experiences of young Victorians regarding the acquisition, carriage and criminal use of weapons. The report discusses a wide array of issues that were identified by the young people and key informants consulted during the course of the study as important to developing a better understanding of youth weapon acquisition, carriage and use in Victoria.