In G20 days, govt plans to bust touts, louts with tourist police at key spots

The G20 logo. (Photo: Twitter/@BJP4India)

Reddy said this in Rajya Sabha on December 8 while replying to BJP member Iranna Kadadi’s question on whether “cases of misbehaviour/attack on foreign tourists in the country have come to the notice of the government”, and what “measures (are) being taken in this regard”.

“Security of tourists is essentially a State subject. However, the National Crime Records Bureau maintains a record of cases registered under crime against the foreign tourist, and as per information provided by them, total number of such cases during the year 2021 is 71,” Reddy stated in his written response.

He stated that the Tourism Ministry has “taken up the matter with all state governments [and UTs] for setting up a dedicated Tourism Police”. As of now, he pointed out, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh have deployed tourist police “in one form or the other”.

To resolve issues of uniformity and coordination, the government had organised the DGPs’ conference on October 19, ahead of India’s G20 Presidency, to implement the uniform tourist police scheme based on a report submitted by Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D).

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, who was among the participants, had emphasised the need for quick police action in cases of crimes against tourists to increase their confidence and create a good environment. “The G20 will give us an opportunity to improve security and policing. Tourist inflow improves in a country where law and order is better,” Birla said.

Reddy had said at the event that unscrupulous elements are active mostly at hotels, entry and exit points of airports, railway stations and bus terminals, and crimes against foreign nationals tarnish the country’s image.

The BPR&D report may act as a template for states and UTs for setting up their own tourist police forces. The report covers relevant issues such as development of standard operating procedures, setting up control room systems, defining the role and responsibility of tourist police and their uniform, according to officials.