A heavy police presence at beaches in southern Sydney over the weekend prevented a repeat of racial violence that rocked the city a week ago and headed off potential tragedies, a senior officer said today.

AUSTRALIANS were warned yesterday to stay away from beaches in three cities this weekend with police saying they have credible evidence that racial violence was being planned.

New South Wales state parliament passed emergency laws today empowering police to crack down on race rioters after several days and nights of unrest plagued Sydney’s southern beach suburbs.

Police in Sydney expect more violence over the weekend following the race riots that rocked southern beachside suburbs for two days this week, a state government minister said today.

ATTACKS linked to two nights of race rioting in Sydney were reported in two other Australian cities yesterday, but an uneasy calm returned to the streets of Sydney.

Police in Sydney will be given tough new powers to crack down on rioters who have rampaged through the city’s southern beachside suburbs for two nights, it was announced today.

Police formed a strike force today to track down the instigators of a day and night of racial riots that left more than 30 people injured in a string of Sydney beachside suburbs.

Racial tensions erupted today into running battles between police and thousands of white youths, many chanting racial slurs against ethnic Middle Easterners, at a beachside suburb in southern Sydney.

Text messages and e-mail alerts will form a key component of an evacuation plan for downtown Sydney in the event of a terrorist attack, the state leader said today.