Caulfield North’s Avi Yemini petitions for pepper spray to be legalised

A FORMER Israeli Defence Force soldier has started a petition calling for self defence spray to be legalised to give power back to the community.

Former Israeli Defence Force soldier Avi Yemini has started an online petition to legalise capsicum spray. Picture: Chris Eastman

A FORMER Israeli Defence Force soldier is calling for pepper spray to be legalised in a bid to empower the community.

Avi Yemini, owner of the IDF Training gym in Caulfield North, has started an online petition demanding the State Government legalise capsicum spray due to a rise in violent crime and a “scared” community.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Would you carry pepper spray if it were legal? Tell us below.

The petition, which has gained more than 350 signatures in less than 24 hours, quotes former policeman turned politician Jeff Bourman who said Victoria needed to look at legalising the use of capsicum spray, which would “give people an opportunity to defend themselves if they feel so threatened that they need to”.

“We heard what Jeff said and we think it needs more community support,” Mr Yemini said.

“It’s a nonlethal option. I for one would love my wife to carry that in her bag.

“There’s no reason not to empower the community.”

Mr Yemini, well-known for his self-defence workshops, said he had received a number of messages from local residents who were “literally scared to leave their houses at night”.

“People are feeling defenceless,” he said.

“This is just a little tool that would empower people. There’s not really any reasons not to have it, if it’s within a controlled manner, maybe licenced and with training.”

Many people who signed the petition also commented, with a majority saying they no longer felt safe in their own homes, Ruth Wein wrote “We should not be prisoners in our own homes”.

Rivkah Hammer from Elsternwick wrote that “If the courts won’t get tough with criminals then we need to be able to defend ourselves”.

Zelman Lew agreed and wrote “We should be allowed to have some form of defence in a threatening situation and pepper spray is a non-life threatening device that gives a person some time to either escape the threat or at least subdue it”.

State Government spokesman Andrew Nelson said capsicum spray was a prohibited weapon in Victoria and there were no plans to change it.

“Community safety has to come first: relaxing the laws around capsicum spray risks a higher number of weapons on ours streets, putting members of the community at risk,” Mr Nelson said.

“The current laws give our law enforcement agencies the tools and the training they need to use capsicum spray safely, and keep it out of the wrong hands.”