04en_vio ... Violence

The Familiar Ring of Violent Crime Attackers 

Known to 2 of 3 victims: Statscan

By SEAN DURKAN -- Ottawa Bureau
June 20, 1998

OTTAWA -- Beware the devils you know -- they are far more likely to commit a violent crime against you than those you've never met, says Statistics Canada.

The agency's latest crime survey shows two out of three violent crimes in 1996 were committed by a person known to the victim, and that those crimes were more likely to result in physical injury than offences committed by strangers. In 1996, 52% of violent crimes committed by a known attacker resulted in the victim being hurt, compared to 41% of the crimes committed by strangers, says StatsCan.

The agency reports strangers were responsible for 14% of homicides, 20% of sexual and common assaults, and 10% of offences committed in a home.

MOST COMMON

Male attacks on women were the most common form of violence -- half of the 121,739 crimes reported in 1996. Of these offences, 87% were committed by a man known to the victim, and in 46% of all cases, the attacker was the husband. Violent crimes involving strangers were most likely to be committed by men against men, and the most common victims (24% of such cases) were males in the 15-24 age group.