Aussie Strip Clubs Safer Than Church

[justintempler]

http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report...urches_1370074

Australian strip clubs safer than churches
ANI
Sunday, April 11, 2010 17:04

Melbourne: Aussies are safer in a strip club than a church, suggests new government data.

According to the latest figures compiled by the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, 1600 people were charged with committing a range of 27 offences in the state's "places of worship'' in 2008.

Astonishingly, the data showed only 282 people were charged with the same offences in adult entertainment premises.

"Most people would think of churches and synagogues as sanctuaries in society,'' News.com.au quoted bureau director Don Wedderburn, as saying.

Wedderburn added: "But maybe that's naive, because the statistics show they are likely to rob, assault or steal from people there like anywhere else. The figures are genuinely surprising.''

The data showed 85 people were assaulted in places of worship, compared to 66 at an adult entertainment premises.

The report names churches, synagogues, monasteries, mosques, convents, cathedrals and chapels as places of worships.

Strip clubs, sex shops, brothels, massage parlours, homosexual clubs, gaming houses and gambling clubs fall under the category of adult entertainment premises.

Places of worship also took the lead in sexual offences (16), theft from motor vehicles (33), resisting arrest (7) and liquor offences (10).

Harassment and threatening behaviour at places of worship (30) was over 50percent more than at places of adult entertainment (13).

[lxskllr]

People follow example :^P

[Snusdog]

In all fairness, the article does not say if members of the various religious communities were the ones committing the crimes or if they were simply the targets of the crimes.

Religious organizations tend to attract all manner of people but not always for the reasons you would think. Two examples:

A few years back my church was targeted by a group teens would wait until everyone was in worship, enter the church, and pilfer purses left in the choir room by those singing in the choir. This would have shown up on this report as a crime committed at a house of worship.

More recently, we had a lady who was suffering from schizophrenia wander into our church. Our congregation fed her and sought to help her. A few weeks later she came back high as a kite and suicidal. We called the police and an ambulance and kept her safe until they arrived. She now is living with her parents and undergoing long term help. But this call would have also shown up on the report as occurring at a house of worship..

The point is that in all likelihood most of the calls on this report are of this nature.

The sad thing is...........not all of them are