ATTACKS against Indian students are on the rise again just months after police recorded a significant drop in armed robbery offences.

Footscray Police Inspector Ian Geddes told Star last week attacks against Indian students had risen in recent months, with many offences occurring around train stations.

“We are seeing these attacks again in and around public transport hubs. The same sort of pattern that we were seeing 12 months ago is re-occurring,” he said. “It was down substantially in August and September, but around October and November we started to see a rise again, and that coincides with getting into the warmer months.”

A recent attack saw an Indian student stabbed 14 times over 20 cents in Footscray.

The 23-year-old man was walking back to work from a laundromat in Droop St on 29 November around 2.15pm when he was approached by two youths demanding money. One of the youths was carrying a knife.

The Bundoora man gave the 20 cents he had in his hand to one of the offenders, who then stabbed the victim 14 times in his upper body, arms, neck and face. The man was hospitalised for five days.

Police arrested and charged a 15-year-old St Albans teen over the attack thanks to CCTV images from the fixed parking cameras.

Footscray’s Embona Taskforce is still looking for the second youth allegedly involved in the armed robbery.

Footscray Inspector Ian Geddes was shocked by the daylight attack. “It’s just unbelievable,” he said. “This doesn’t follow the normal passage of coming home late, being on public transport, all that sort of stuff we’ve talked about in the past. This one just relates to someone going about their daily business and getting attacked.”

A Star report in June revealed attacks against Indian students had dropped by nearly 30 per cent over the previous 12 months after a concerted effort by Footscray Police to eradicate street crime.

Insp Geddes said there was no indication that any of the attacks were racially motivated.

“They’re not being attacked because they’re Indian; they’re being attacked because they work in places like 7/11 late at night and they’re places that are constantly being robbed.”

He believes the bulk of new victims are part of the 2009 mid-year intake of international students.

Insp Geddes said attacks against Indian students had stopped being an issue for police in the winter months, but recent attacks meant police would amp up efforts and once again focus on transport hubs.

“It’s also about individuals adopting safe behaviours and take responsibility for their own safety and realise if you’re getting off the train late at night and alone you are at risk.”