More youth, women committing violent crimes

Queensland's Police Commissioner says more young people and more women are committing violent crimes.

Bob Atkinson says police figures show children as young as 12 are increasingly becoming involved in serious offences.

He says there has also been a rise in the use of knives, swords and machetes.

"Seems to be happening across the board and certainly in other parts of Australia," he said.

"Obviously it's linked, generally speaking, to groups of young men or young men in ones or twos thinking that they need to be armed."