Key points
- Theft involves stealing properties of another person who uses the strength or threat of force.
- Theft involves taking the property of another person without their consent and without using strength.
- The force you use to defend itself must be proportional to the threat.
If you have never had your home or business, consider yourself fortunate.
Keeping thieves is the name of the game: a message that will hear again and again from locksmiths, security experts and even Australia residents for a long time.
Understand what theft is under Australian law
In Australia, theft is not just theft; It has specific legal definitions and consequences.
The Criminal Lawyer based in Sydney, Alex Cao, says that the robbery implies stealing another person with the use of force or the threat of force.
The key element in theft is that the victim is directly confronted or threatened during the crime commission.
The theft, on the other hand, is defined differently between the states, but generally implies taking the property of another person without their consent and without using strength. The key distinction between theft and theft is that the theft does not imply threats or direct violence.
Mr. Cao also explains another similar category of crimes: theft.
“The robbery occurs when someone enters a building or other space closed as a house, a store, a warehouse without permission from the owner with the intention of committing a crime, usually theft, but can also involve other crimes such as vandalism or assault,” says Mr. Cao.
Theft involves taking the property of another person without their consent and without using strength. Fountain: Istockphoto / Mihail Rudenko / Getty Images / Istockphoto
“That is just opportunistic.”
Tibs Panasar, resident of Melbourne, experienced one of these unfortunate events in 2023. Fortunately, he and his family did not face thieves while they were in action.
“They could not open the main door, they could not open the back door, because the house was very sure, but they could pass the back window of the kitchen, and as it seemed, the first thing they possibly did was remove the security system, and threw it into the sink of the kitchen and put the tap,” says Mr. Panesar.
Panesar says that they often leave their value objects in safe lockers. But occasionally, they brought some jewels home when they have a wedding or a function to attend.
“So, that is only opportunistic, but very intelligent. That is the evaluation of the police. They climbed directly to our room, opened the tall boy and collected the box full of jewelry and left,” says Panesar.
The loss was mentally and financially considerable for him and his family.
“We are all very scared to be alone at home. Therefore, we always make sure that more than one person is there. We close our rooms at night when we sleep. Because if we were at home at that time, we do not know if we would have been attacked.”
The force he uses to defend himself against thieves must be proportional to the threat. Credit: Flying Colors Ltd/Getty Images
Self -defense
Protecting himself and his property of theft is essential and can be a natural response, but how far can he legally defend himself during an invasion of the house in Australia?
The criminal lawyer Alex Cao explains that self -defense legislation differs between states and territories, but there are key principles of self -defense that are the same in all states.
“You must believe that actions are necessary to protect yourself or others. The force it uses must be proportional to the threat. The mortal force is only viable if your life is immediately in danger. You cannot continue to attack once the threat is neutralized,” he says.
Mr. Cao advises that if he finds that his home or business is being invaded, stay out and call the police to the triple Zero (000) immediately.
Support for crime victims
Experimenting robbery can be traumatic. Fortunately, Australia has established systems to support victims.
Sarah Quick is the third commissioner of .
She says that obtaining appropriate support is vital, and knowing how to access that support is important because it can reduce the symptoms and long -term suffering of the victim.
“In general, violent crimes victims can access free advice. The way it happens may differ from state to state, but most of the time there is free advice or funds for advice,” explains Quick.
She adds that crimes such as robbery can also have a financial impact on victims, including loss of income. Each State and territory has its own financial assistance or compensation scheme, with a variable coverage depending on the jurisdiction.
However, most states and territories do not provide compensation for property loss or damage.
“Victims cannot claim compensation for stolen articles. Compensation is generally for violent crimes where a person has suffered physical or psychological damage as a result of that violent event,” he adds.
The Victoria neighborhood clock is a crime prevention organization directed by the community, and there are similar groups throughout the country.
Stay safe
Bambi Gordon, the CEO of It provides advice and advice to prevent what she calls “opportunistic crimes.”
“We can eliminate the opportunity and make it a little more difficult for them to fulfill their offense. It is as simple as things as always block their main door and their back door, and that includes when you are at home, keeping the bushes cut on the ground around the home so that people cannot hide behind them, because what you want to happen is that you want your neighbors to be taken care of for you,” says MS Gordon.
The Victoria neighborhood clock is a crime prevention organization directed by the community, and there are similar groups throughout the country. Its main objective is to promote social cohesion by helping residents to meet their neighbors, observe suspicious activities and support each other.
The organization also offers an online resource to help audit your business, home and automobile safety, and is available in five languages. For more information about this tool, visit
Contact the organization relevant below to obtain more information on the rights of victims in their state or territory.
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