Crackdown on attacks on students

The warning followed a juvenile panel's action in imposing a 6pm-6am curfew as a condition of bail granted to a 14-year-old girl accused of a string of assaults.

Special measures were taken to speed the identification parade process before German students returned home on Saturday.

The investigation was undertaken under the banner of Operation Columbus, measures taken every year to ensure the safety of visiting overseas students.

The girl is accused of six counts of common assault on German girls aged 15 and 16.

She is also accused on one count of assault causing actual bodily harm to her mother and one count of criminal damage at her home.

In a statement on Monday, sector commander Inspector Max Mosley said: "In Sussex Police we deal very strongly with any racist attacks but particularly those against foreign language students who are such a vital part of the local economy.

"It is imperative that we send the message out to any potential offender.

"We will use every resource we have to ensure that there is a speedy resolution to racist assaults.

"In Sussex we have Operation Columbus which is a well-practised strategy whereby victims of student assaults can have their statements taken immediately and with an interpreter present.

"The speed with which we were able to mount an identification parade at Brighton and bring this individual before the court demonstrates that we will not tolerate any misbehaviour towards foreign visitors."

Town centre Community Beat Officer PC Mick Dunn said that because of the formalities it normally takes six weeks to arrange an identity parade at Brighton. In this instance the parade was arranged within four days.

In addition to the 6pm to 6am curfew, the accused girl has been banned by the juvenile panel from going to the seafront and Station Road areas frequented by overseas students.

Prosecution cases in Sussex involving a racist incident, rose by nearly eight per cent in the year to March 2001, compared with the previous year.

The county's chief crown prosecutor Alison Saunders said 88 per cent of the charges prosecuted resulting in guilty pleas or findings of guilt, compared with 74 per cent the previous year.

"This report shows that we are getting significantly better at dealing with cases involving racist incidents," said Mrs Saunders.

"Public confidence in the criminal justice system is crucial. Racist incidents have no place in a civilised society and the CPS and the police are determined cases will be prosecuted vigorously."

Forty-four defendants were referred to CPS Sussex for prosecutions, up from 41 the previous year.

This resulted in prosecutions being brought against 36 defendants on 58 charges.

All the figures, taken together suggested a significant improvement by police in selecting the appropriate charges, perhaps arising from growing familiarity with the legislation, said the CPS.

The Eastbourne CPS unit, which includes Bexhill, had five racist incidents during the year.

In Bexhill, sector Inspector Max Mosley said the town was relatively free from such incidents, though attacks on foreign students were treated as racially aggravated incidents.