Reports of a Mumbai-based tourist being harassed by taxi drivers for hiring an online cab in Munnar gained widespread, negative attention. It triggered calls for strict action. The government responded swiftly. The incident also highlighted the glaring absence of a dedicated tourism police wing that could have handled the situation more effectively.
Though Kerala was the first Indian state to set up an exclusive tourism police station—it was in Mattancherry in 2010—it has shied away from setting up more of them, enabling anti-social elements to trouble tourists without a worry.
Sources in the police said setting up more tourism police stations is a decision that ought to be taken by the state government. However, to take such a decision, it will have to sanction additional posts, which is highly unlikely at the moment due to financial crunch, sources said.
The department does have tourism police cells, but they have limited manpower and lack their own identity. They are attached with local police stations and a majority of its personnel are untrained in hospitality, tourism and legal aspects. There was a plan to teach tourism police personnel languages other than Hindi and English, but it did not take off.
The department vigorously began pushing for tourism police in major locations after the 2018 rape-murder of a Latvian woman near Kovalam. A Thiruvananthapuram city police official said cops attached with the law and order wing are deployed at Kovalam and Shankhumukham, two crowded destinations, where they mostly keep an eye out for drug peddling and on ensuring the safety of tourists.
“Imparting training in other soft skills and languages is not possible as these personnel are part of the general police unit and are likely to be transferred any time,” said an officer. Lacking domain knowledge, the cops at the tourism aid posts are largely helpless when it comes to handling queries related to visa and other tourism-related matters.
Paulose K Mathew of Coraz Travel and Trade Links, a Kochi-based travel firm, said a dedicated police wing with adequate powers and infrastructure is the need of the hour.
“Such dedicated tourism cops are in many other countries and they react quickly to distress calls. We require such a facility here, too. The wing should be networked and backed by latest technology so that the personnel can respond swiftly. A proactive police team that can deliver service without any hiccups will go a long way in enhancing the confidence of tourists,” he said. (TNIE)
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