Full moon fever

Maybe there is something to it after all?
And perhaps we should all be alert when a full moon falls on a payday?

Story:
UK -- Police in Brighton are to put on extra patrols on nights when there is a full moon to combat an increase in violence.

It follows research by the Sussex force which concluded there was a rise in violent incidents when the moon was full - and also on paydays.

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: "Research carried out by us has shown a correlation between violent incidents and full moons. From my experience, over 19 years of being a police officer, undoubtedly on full moons, we do seem to get people with, sort of, stranger behaviour - more fractious, argumentative."

Past research into the phenomenon includes a study by Professor Michal Zimecki, of the Polish Academy of Sciences, who argued that a full moon could affect criminal activity and health.

In 1998, a three-month psychological study of 1,200 inmates at Armley jail in Leeds discovered a rise in violent incidents during the days either side of a full moon.

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The typical victim

Here's more about the highly interesting study by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (USA):

Story:
The assailant put a towel over her face. She screamed for help. "Shut up! Shut up!" he ordered. "I have a knife. I'll stab you."

"He was trying to force me to walk with him, but I kept fighting him," says Stephanie, then 14. Two men working nearby heard her yell and ran to help.

Stephanie's case fits the pattern of most attempted abductions, according to a study released today by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The typical victim is a teenage girl on her way to or from school.

The study, released as a new school year gets underway, examined 403 attempted kidnappings by strangers or slight acquaintances that were reported by police or news media in 45 states from February 2005 to July 2006. It was conducted to learn how such attempts are foiled. The study did not look at successful abductions.

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Too much trouble

USA -- An ongoing study being conducted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children suggests she did exactly the right thing, and she fought back.

The report found that 60% of the kids who evaded attempted abductions, resisted.

Ernie Allen of the national center for missing and exploited children said, "They screamed, they yelled, they fought back, they brought attention to themselves. In case after case abductors decided this kid's too much trouble."

Researchers also found that while not foolproof, it's a good idea for kids to stay on major roads and other public areas.

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A 'socially infectious disease'

From an interesting article in New Scientist (2005):

Witnessing gun violence can double the likelihood of a teenager committing serious violence in the following two years, suggests a study by US researchers.

"There are often social stimuli that are ambiguous - like at a crowded party, someone bumps into you. How do you interpret those stimuli?” he asks. Webster suggests that people exposed to violence may be more prone to assume a hostile intent - as a self-defence mechanism - which could in itself lead to violence.

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