AUSSIE POLICE AWARE OF CRIME AGAINST INDIAN STUDENTS

By Neville D'Cruz

MELBOURNE, Jan 20 (Bernama) -- The Victoria State police chief has admitted that police realised two years ago there was a problem involving crime against Indian students.

Indian students are over-represented in robbery statistics and there is a
racist element to some attacks, Police Commissioner Simon Overland said.

"There is no question, regardless of the motives, (that) Indian students
have to a degree been targeted in robberies and that is not okay," he told ABC
radio.

"We recognised this problem a long time before it hit the public.

"We have known for two years that there has been this issue and we have been
working away, at a number of levels around engaging with students, trying to
make them understand the risks and how they keep themselves safe."

Overland said police had detailed data on attacks involving Indians and said
that while Indian students were over-represented when it came to robberies, the
same could not be said for assaults.

About 50 per cent of assaults on Indians occurred in their workplace, mostly
involving taxi drivers and convenience store clerks, he said.

Overland said some of the attacks were racist.

"I have said from day one undoubtedly some of these attacks have a racist
motive or there is a racist element to these attacks," he said.

"Regardless of who they are, what they are, what colour they are, what
occupation they are, my job is to make the state as safe as I can for everyone."

The comments came after a number of attacks on Indians, including the
stabbing murder of student Nitin Garg in Melbourne this month.

-- BERNAMA