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A senior police official in Victoria, Australia has made a candid admission in the wake of a spate of attacks on Indians in Australia, saying there are racists in Melbourne.
Victorian Deputy Police Commissioner Ken Jones says the issue needs to be discussed to tackle an upswing in street crime the brunt of which is being borne by Indians.
"Part of that (statement) is being absolutely upfront about every society having racism and racists," Jones is quoted as saying by The Australian newspaper.
However, he said racism is not endemic in this city. "We have got murderers and rapists, but for a developed country, less than our share. We've got less than our share of racists, but we have got them.
"The more we can be accurate in our discussion ... the more likely we are to be able to focus on that small element of society and prosecute it," he said. "The more scattergun our commentary and approach is, we are offending an awful lot of people unnecessarily."
Jones says Indians are "bearing the brunt" of an upswing in violent street crime in Melbourne.
He said it was the result of the types of jobs and hours they work and how and when they travel, rather than a surge in racial tension, which he would expect to be accompanied by more activity from hate groups and by racist graffiti.
Indians should not be blamed for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Ken said.
"The fact we have got morons out there waiting to attack people who happen to be wandering through a park late at night is a problem for us all," Ken, a former top cop in Britain, said.
