Conceding that there were "some" racist attacks on Indian students in Australia, the Victorian police chief on Thursday cautioned against "hysterical" response to such assaults as it could lead to more violence.
Police Commissioner Simon Overland said the level of violence in the community was unacceptable, but Victoria was still a safe state by national and international standards.
"I fear that the hysterical commentary will only spawn more violence as attitudes polarise and harden, leading to more hard core racist intentions and violence," Overland said.
"We need to be very careful, as this is a path to be avoided at all costs," the official said. He said there was no doubt some of the recent robberies and other acts of violence against Indian students were racist.
"Of course, we have racism in this country - we are like any country. But it is a mistake to oversimplify these crimes and point to a racial motivation in all or a majority of them," he said, adding many of the victims had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Many of the robberies were opportunistic and targeted against jobs such as taxi drivers or late night shop attendants, which were often done by Indian students.