ONE of the most frequent times to commit a homicide in Australia is on a Sunday night between midnight and 6am.

The most common place to be killed is in the home and it is more likely than not that the killer is either a mate or a lover.

An Australian Institute of Criminology report has found that stab wounds were the most commonly recorded cause of death in Australia. Photo: Paul Harris Credit:Paul Harris

Their weapon of choice is increasingly going to be a knife instead of a gun and there is almost a 50 per cent chance the killer or victim has been drinking.

The Australian Institute of Criminology has released a report examining the 510 homicides across the country over 24 months between July 2008 and June 2010.