It seems the Goa tourism ministry, in its zeal to come out with a comprehensive tourism bill, has outreached itself by proposing a Tourism Safety Force (TSF), whose powers overlap with the State police and other law enforcement authorities.
The TSF, which would function under the tourism department, is the government’s response to the law-and-order situation getting out hand due to rapid the growth in the State’s floating population. Both the tourists and the tourism stakeholders have borne its brunt.
So, it was not unexpected for the government to include a TSF in the draft tourism bill – Goa Tourism Promotion and Management Bill, 2024 – which could soon become a law if passed in the legislative assembly. This force, which would be created from the deputed officers of the State police, have been vested with wide powers.
It’s officers’ overreaching powers include powers to arrest in cases of non-bailable and cognizable offences, to conduct search of any person and seize items in his belonging for violation of the proposed Act, secure evidence from and attendance of witness, to impose and collect fines for offences of nuisance and touting.
It’s officers’ overreaching powers include powers to arrest in cases of non-bailable and cognizable offences, to conduct search of any person and seize items in his belonging for violation of the proposed Act.
All of these powers vest with the State police too. Creation of another layer of TSF officers with identical duties will only lead to confusion and chaos, resulting in unnecessary conflict between the two authorities.
It would also need Constitutional and legal validity before such powers are entrusted with the TSF. The safety force would also consist of tourist guards deployed at the tourism clusters – notified areas and buildings for tourism.
These tourist guards would assist the TSF officers in prevention of crimes against tourists and ensure their safety and security.
They would provide support to the local administration and the police in preventing drug trafficking, illegal liquor sale and consumption, detain those violating the law and report them to nearest police station, apprise tourists of touts and undesirable or illegal activities, provide help to tourists as first responders during healthy emergency and assist tourists in lost and found services.
The TSF would be headed by the tourism department director, who would be responsible for their deployment at any location – tourist destination, tourism cluster, railway station, bus stand, airport, port or any other such places – and would also decide the duration of their posting.
No doubt, a TSF would go a long way in curbing crimes against tourists but it should not be duplicating the role of the police. They should not be working as law enforcement agencies.
At best, they can operate as frontline safety force on the field to prevent tourism crimes. In the event of crimes detected or coming their notice, they could report them to the police or other concerned authorities. Another aspect that seems to have been completely overlooked is the protection of local residents and businesses from tourist crimes.
So, the government may have got its intention to set up a TSF right but it needs to invest a little more in giving it a proper shape.