Doubts are being cast on new figures which suggest knife assaults are skyrocketing in NSW.
It has been reported that attacks involving knives are on the rise with a 40 percent increase in Sydney’s southwest alone.
But Don Weatherburn, from the NSW bureau of crime statistics, says the overall trend is steady.
“We have 2,300 knife assaults across NSW in 2005, that went down in 2006 and it’s 2,300 again in 2007 so no obvious trend there in assaults with a knife,” he told LIVENEWS.com.au.
“And robberies with a knife have gone from 1,700 across the state down to 1,500.”
Acting Police Minister Kristina Keneally says knife crime is under control in NSW.
"Carrying any knife in a public place or a school, which is likely to cause a person to fear for their personal safety attracts a penalty of up to two years jail," she said.
"In fact New South Wales' system are the toughest knife laws in the country and the data from the crime bureau shows these laws are working."
But community leaders are still urging NSW to get tough on knife crime.
St Vincents emergency ward doctor Gordian Fulder has told 2GB’s Jason Morrison the community has to come down hard on groups of people who believe carrying a knife is a rite of passage.
“I think society has to act – government only does what the voters want them to do, in a way – and I think we as a society just have to get very heavy," he said
"You have no bloody reason to carry a knife out of the kitchen."
NSW Shadow Attorney General Greg Smith agrees we have to send a much tougher message.
“These kids often have false ID and things like that and they’ll just throw [an infringement notice] in the gutter,” he told 2GB.
“Or they might get a letter saying they have to pay it and they might pay it. But ultimately it doesn’t sting them as much as saying you will come before a court and you might face a jail sentence.”