A DISTRESSED university student has accused armed police and security staff of racial profiling after he was wrongly identified as a wanted man.

Firearms officers were called to the University of Essex, Colchester, after receiving reports from campus security guards.

They believed a man matching the description of a person circulated by police for firearms offences was on site.

However, the young man told how the description of the suspect didn’t fit his appearance at all.

The student said: “Their description of the suspected individual was black, six-feet tall, athletic build, with dreadlocked hair.

“My hair is far from dreadlocks - and I’m not that tall.”

The drama unfolded shortly after 7.30pm last Thursday.

Gazette:

After arriving at the scene armed officers tracked down the “suspect” before accepting he was not the man they were looking for.

The man is a studying at the university.

He has now blasted police for how they handled the situation.

Speaking anonymously, he said: “I was sitting at my desk in the library reading room when between five and six police officers approached me, two of which had visible guns.

“They approached me in a passive-aggressive manner and asked me for my ID without any pre-warning or reason as to why I was approached.

“I gave over my ID and then they walked away, but they did not apologise for the way they endangered my life.”

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The international student, who has no family in the UK, has now threatened to take legal action. He added: “Being threatened with guns on the campus where my safety is supposed to be provided for is troubling and concerning.

“How are black students supposed to be safe from racial discrimination and fear of potential death when their biggest threat are those that are supposed to protect them?”

A spokeswoman for Essex Police has now responded to the accusations.

She said: “We spoke to the man present and confirmed he was not the person we were looking for.

“We appreciate that being approached by police can be an unnerving experience.

“We would like to thank everyone at the scene for answering our questions so we could conclude our enquiries.”

Registrar Bryn Morris from Essex University said: “It is totally unacceptable that one of our students experienced this incident.

"In response we have commissioned a review to discover what happened and how it occurred. We have also taken every action we can to try and support the people involved.

“Our commitment to equality and diversity is central to what we stand for and who we are. We are proud that we are the third most culturally diverse University in the UK.

"Our inclusive and diverse community are at the heart of what makes us Essex and a safe home for our students. We will do everything we can to ensure that this never happens again on one of our campuses.”