The Victoria police has faced criticism for its advice that asked Indian students to "try to dress poor". The Police said that the comments were blown out of proportion and were meant to be a "light hearted summation" of the safety advice.

The police as well as the Government has said that the advice could have been given to any community member to make them aware of their valuables and that the remark "try to look as poor as you can" must be seen as "light-hearted summation of the advice".