Australian police arrest 70 after spate of Melbourne University thefts

Australian Police have arrested 70 people in relation to a wave of thefts on Melbourne University students, but have watered down suggestions that criminals were specifically targeting wealthy Chinese nationals.

Since January, Victoria Police have been cracking down on crooks stealing bags, wallets and phones from people in the general vicinity of Melbourne University's inner-city campus.

Earlier this month, local media reported that many of these victims were Chinese students, with the university, arguably the most prestigious in Australia, having received calls from their concerned parents.

Subsequently, Victoria Police, in consultation with the Chinese consulate and Melbourne University, decided to ramp up patrols of the area, with the university's 24-hour security service also put on high alert.

But on Friday Victoria Police's Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton refuted the claim that Chinese students, and more broadly Asian-born internationals, were the only target of the city's petty thieves.

"There was certainly a perception in the media ... that there was targeting of Chinese students," Ashton told Melbourne radio on Friday. "It's certainly not the case."

"I think only one-third of victims of those particularly robberies, which were mainly snatch and grabs of phones, were Asian.

"Of those Asians only a small percentage of those were Chinese."

Despite the spate of attacks, Ashton said future Chinese students shouldn't be deterred from pursuing an education in the Victorian capital.

"It wasn't really targeting Chinese students; I think that's an important message to get across," he said on Friday.

"We've certainly had a good impact there since (the operation began) in January, and I understand (crime) has waned considerably." Endit