Australian police and fire brigade officers are likely to visit India soon to advice Melbourne-bound students on their personal safety and security here as the city has seen a rise in violent racist attacks.
Victorian Police spokesperson told PTI that the trip scheduled for June was on final stages of approval. However, further details are awaited.
In the latest attack, a 21-year-old Indian student Sourabh Sharma was beaten, robbed and racially abused by a gang of six on Saturday night last as he traveled home.
Meanwhile, a media report said that a police officer and a representative of Metropolitan Fire Brigade were to join a team from Victoria University in a five-city tour, to provide students information on safety on the streets and public transport, apart from fire safety.
On Tuesday, Victorian police that has been often accused of not responding appropriately to racist attacks said that a new helpline service was being launched on Friday to help Indian students who were the victims of crime.
But the Indian community members and Islamic council of Victoria and Federation of Indian Students of Australia (FISA) described the move as "very little effort".
{{/usCountry}}But the Indian community members and Islamic council of Victoria and Federation of Indian Students of Australia (FISA) described the move as "very little effort".
{{/usCountry}}The Islamic council said that helpline was a "too little, too late" and police should be doing more to prevent assaults, not just asking victims to report them.