In 2017, the then State Government, led by the Telugu Desam Party, envisaged the need for tourism police stations in the city based on a report submitted by then Commissioner of Police T. Yoganand.
The proposal was accepted at the District Collectors’ conference, but it never took the desired shape and was kept on the backburner.
The need for having a few exclusive tourism police stations was conceived as Visakhapatnam, apart from being a tourist hub with a number of potential tourist sites such as its beaches, ancient Buddhist sites, and hill stations, also houses a number of strategic installations and major public sector undertakings and is also the headquarters of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC).
“Apart from tourists, we receive a number of delegates from across the country and abroad, as a number of conferences and seminars are held all through the year,” said ADCP (Special Branch) Srinivasa Rao.
Footfalls
The city has been witnessing a steady rise in tourist footfalls. In 2015 and 2016, the number of tourist footfalls exceeded 1.2 crore with over 70,000 foreigners. In 2017, the domestic tourist footfalls was over 2.05 crore while the number of foreign visitors was 1.04 lakh. In 2018, the figures stood at about 1.97 crore (domestic) and 57,000 (foreigners), while in the current year the domestic tourist footfall has already crossed the 1.35 crore mark while about 50,000 foreigners have visited the city.
Needs of tourists
Considering the rise in tourism, the city police suggested the formation of a tourism police station along the lines of that present in Goa, in order to cater to the needs of the tourists.
“There were many incidents when tourists have faced problems, be it from eve-teasers or bag and mobile phone snatchers. At times, the tourists lodge a complaint, but in most cases, they avoid doing it as it involves time and hassle. If we have police stations dedicated for tourists, things would be easier,” a senior police officer said.
The officer noted that the role of the tourism police would not only be limited to accepting complaints but would also include ensuring security of tourists and seeing that they have a hassle-free trip.
A senior manager of a hotel pointed out that tourists not only face eve-teasing and harassment but are also fleeced by auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers. “If we have a dedicated police station, things will improve,” he said.
Despite being inadequately staffed, the city police has decided to launch special teams to tackle the issue.
“The tourism police station is still pending and a decision is yet to be taken on the issue. But for the time being, we are planning to launch special teams at tourist spots,” said Commissioner of Police Rajeev Kumar Meena.
Mr. Meena said that the teams would be equipped with the latest communication systems and will be put on patrolling duty at all prominent tourist spots. “The idea is to provide visible policing at tourist spots, which will bring down the problems to a great extent and provide tourists a sense of security,” Mr. Meena said
