'Thousands' of AK-47 assault rifles could be in Australia, experts say
A Border Force expert estimates there could be thousands of AK-47s in Australia following the seizure of two high-powered assault rifles in Melbourne suburbs during the past week.
Former Border Force Commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg told 3AW he’s not surprised the Russian-designed AK-47 weapons were being found in Melbourne.
He said many were housed with collectors.
“They were originally built in the Soviet Union in the late '40s, over time there’s been about 100 million or so manufactured in the global market. In the '50s and '60s it was quite easy to get them into the country,” Mr Quaedvlieg told Neil Mitchell.
“They’re a very durable weapon, they’re very robust, they’re simple to use and don’t perish easily, so they stay in existence for a long time.
“You can punch out several hundred rounds a minute, they’re a scary weapon."
Mr Quaedvlieg also raised the questions as to why Australia allowed the importation of assault rifles when they appear to be creating “unnecessary risk”.
Two military rifles have been seized and more than a dozen teenagers arrested as police ramp up their crackdown on violent youth crime in the past week. And investigators say more arrests are imminent.
On Tuesday police descended on an Oakleigh East home where they seized what police believe to be an AK-47, an imitation rifle and drugs.
An 18-year-old Oakleigh East man has since been charged with possessing an imitation firearm, breaching an intervention order, possessing/using cannabis, possessing a controlled weapon and failing to provide access to data storage device.
A further AK-47 was seized from a family home in the city’s southeast late last week as part of widespread raids regarding a string of carjackings and aggravated robberies in the area between July 26 and August 7.
Both assault rifles are currently with ballistics experts for analysis. On Wednesday morning police said the Oakleigh East assault rifle might be a fake too.
Of the 14 arrested last Thursday and Friday, seven teens have been charged over a range of violent crimes.
AK-47s have automatic firing capabilities and are popular in battle zones due to their light 3.1 kilogram weight.
The latest crime data shows there was an average of 52 armed robberies, 68 aggravated burglaries and 84 firearm offences being detected per week in Victoria.