JOIN USThe southeastern state’s Chief Commissioner of Police, Simon Overland, told the media in Victoria’s capital Melbourne that some of the robbery attacks are “racially motivated” and others are “opportunistic”.
“Whatever the motivation, they (the attacks) are not okay. violence is not okay, being robbed is not okay,” he said.
He also said that there is no place for racism in the community, according to the transcript of Overland’s informal meet and greet with 50 members of Melbourne’s multilingual media. Asked if police used excessive force in breaking up a protest by Indian students in Melbourne last weekend, Overland said he watched from the Police Operations Centre and believed that what he saw was entirely appropriate.
He said there was some force used after the students were given the opportunity for the last time to leave the traffic intersection and they refused to do so. He said students were moved on because the intersection needed to be cleared for peak-hour traffic. Overland said: “The police have been working on the issue for 18 months with Indian students and universities, and are aware that this is a problem.” Police in Victoria are taking various initiatives to strengthen ties with culturally diverse communities, including Indians, he said.
Earlier, Overland wrote in the Herald Sun: “Some of these crimes are racially motivated; however I also believe that many of the robberies and other crimes of violence are simply opportunistic.”