SNAKES: Statistics from the Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit, state that nearly 10 000 Victorians a year are injured by animals. Statistics on snake attacks show that about 300 people a year need anti-venom yet only two or three a year actually die from snakebite.

PIRATES: According to an Australian Navy press release dated 23 September 2009 The HMAS Toowoomba successfully thwarted a piracy attack.  This Frigates  was built for the Royal Australian Navy right here in Williamstown, Melbourne. This was Toowoomba’s first anti-piracy swoop since moving down to the Gulf of Aden from the Northern Arabian Sea and there were no casualties as a result of the successful operation.
So statistically speaking you are more likely to get hit by a bus than to be dies from a snake bite or be attacked by pirates.

Please, people, beware of buses.

So says the ‘Safer Yarra Plan Discussion Paper ‘ released this month.

The life expectancy for a male born in 2006 was 79 years, and for a female, 84 years, a significant improvement on a child born 30
years earlier. Yarra ranks around the Victorian average for life expectancy which is among the highest levels in the world.

In a 2008 Council survey, 79% of residents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement:”I feel safe in my neighbourhood”, with a further 13%
answering neutral and only 8% disagreeing.

Read more about the City of Yarra’s commitment to safety as they develop their Draft Safer Yarra Plan 2010-2014

You can have your say on important issues on the Bang the Table forum

The Dangerous Melbourne slide-show information evening is coming to the City of Yarra for one night only.

Be there or be forever afraid.

To see all this research for the Dangerous Melbourne project on the big screen – head on down to the City Library at 253 Flinders Lane (or Little Flinders as it should be rightfully called).

Just look up as you enter the foyer (next to Journal cafe) – it’s all there for your viewing pleasure during City Library opening hours for the duration of the Next Wave Festival 13 – 30th May 2010.

Here is what it said:

Looks like you’re going to have to decide for yourselves. Got your calculators ready?

State’s grim reality: homicide rate tops nation

MEASURING violence is complicated, but by at least one measure, Victoria tops the nation for violence causing death – more people died by homicide in Victoria than in any other state last year.

There were 185 homicides, which include murder and manslaughter. Of those, 124 happened in Melbourne – two more than the total homicides for all of NSW. On a per-100,000 population basis, Victoria’s homicide rate is actually three ½ times higher than that of NSW.

But on another measure – violence overall – Premier John Brumby is (almost) correct. He regularly boasts that Victoria has the lowest reported crime rate in Australia. In 2008-09, the state was actually the second-lowest in overall crime – the lowest was Tasmania.

Read the full report here

Confused? Confounded? Slightly terrified about going to the corner shop? That’s pretty much what a head full of numbers from a handful of statistics will do to you. Thank goodness for Stephen Juan, he seems to know what he’s on about.

Just how dangerous is Melbourne?
JOHN ELDER AND JON PIERIK
March 14, 2010

Sydney University anthropologist Stephen Juan believes the crime statistics or even the actual crime rate is less damaging to the public psyche than ”the toxic psychological impact” of the perception that crime is getting worse and our communities are unsafe.

”This brings about fear and anxiety leading to mental health problems, substance abuse, family breakdown, demands for expensive and oppressive security measures which replace one set of anxieties for another, and ironically, more crime. Humans do not choose well, act well, or live well in a state of fear.’

Read the full article here.

Be careful what you’re buying into with your corner shop carton of milk and morning paper.

Here at Dangerous Melbourne project HQ we’ed like to remind you about our own number crunching that we posted here in November 09 based on our own survey where we asked real people what they thought and felt.

Over a hundred people (most living in Melbourne) were asked “Is the city or area where you live getting better or getting worse as a place to live?

Here is what they said:

Better: 34.7%
Worse: 20.4%
No Change: 44.9%

Only 15.3% of people (mainly young women aged 18 – 30) thought Melbourne City was ‘sometimes unsafe’ after dark.

We asked: Is Melbourne dangerous?
31.3% Not dangerous
44.6% Little bit dangerous
22.9% Sometimes dangerous
1.2% Often dangerous
0.0% Always dangerous

Insightful comments included:

“Everywhere is a little bit dangerous”

“Dangerous in a good way i think. Sometimes danger is fun, and scary in the right way. I don’t think that the opposite of danger is always safe. “

Of the 332 ‘fears’ detailed by respondents only 7% had fears that were specific to living in Melbourne the most telling comment being:

“Robert Doyle is a Melbourne-specific fear I have.”

Okay – now it’s up to you – what are the most important matters to measure?

MELBOURNE remains the third most liveable city in the world, and just 2.5 percentage points short of perfection, according to the latest rankings by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

TIM COLEBATCH The Age, February 12, 2010

#1 Vancouver

# 2 Vienna

# 3 Melbourne

Dear old Melbourne earned a score of 97.5 out of a possible 100 from the number crunching boffins at The Economist magazine. 140 global cities were ranked on 30 criteria covering stability, healthcare, culture, environment, education and infrastructure. And who came last? The capital of Zimbabwe, Harare. With a score of only 37.5 it’s rated the most unliveable city in the world.

In at number 7 is Sydney

8th equal to Perth and Adelaide

So if Melbourne is 3rd most livable is it still most lovable?

Over 111 people left a comment on why they love or loath living in Melbourne – everything from outer suburban bogans vs. Carlton’s parks and cafes to that all important x factor.

Protest racially motivated violence in Melbourne by dining at your local Indian restaurant on Wednesday 24 February 2010.

Show support for the Indian community and signal that you will not turn a blind eye to violence in our city. This violence threatens all Melburnians’ sense of safety and pride in their home.

The Melbourne Indian community -and all immigrant communities – should know that they are welcome and entitled to feel safe here. How cool would it be if Melbourne displayed a show of force by all going out and eating Indian on a certain night, to embrace and show solidarity with our local Indian community? Let’s do it!

Register your attendance and get more details at http://vindalooagainstviolence.wordpress.com/

Follow on  the Twit – http://twitter.com/VagainstV