TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: In the absence of a dedicated tourist security force, scores of tourists partying at the
Many tourists descended on the State’s beaches to celebrate Christmas and New Year. Many were in a rude shock when they discovered that their wallets, bags containing valuables and cash were flicked away from the beach.
Lakhs of tourists, particularly domestic tourists thronged the Calangute beach last weekend which incidentally marked the end of 2011 and beginning of 2012.
Herald came across several tourists who lost their belongings from the shores; however, barely a handful filed police complaints. Many unattended personal belongings were stolen in the mad-rush at the beach.
A newly-married Punjabi couple told Herald that their bag containing Rs 5,000 cash, clothes and other personal belongings went missing when they returned after a bath.
In another incident, a group of four boys complained of being robbed of motorbike keys which were rented out from bike rentals, mobiles phones and cameras while they had gone swimming.
The increasing incidents have upset the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG).
“Tourists are easy targets for the pickpockets as they get distracted very easily. This gives an opportunity for the anti-social elements to execute their activity. Many unsuspecting people have also joined the gang,” TTAG spokesman Ralph D’Souza said.
The absence of tourist security force has given an added advantage to robbers at the tourist locations.
“We cannot blame the police as they perform double shifts besides managing the traffic due to insufficient force… The tourism protection force recruitment has to be expedited,” he added.
TTAG expressed apprehensions that the trend might take away tourists from
“We need to warn tourists to be alert. At the same time, we need to crack down on the anti-social groups who on executing crimes, escape outside state boundaries…The tourist security force also needs to be in place,” D’Souza stated.
The Tourism Department is however not in the know of the recent incidents. Director Swapnil Naik, while admitting that such stray incidents indeed happen during the peak season, said they are not informed about the most recent robberies and pickpocketing incidents.
“We will study the daily reports sent to us by the station officers,” Naik told Herald.
Just a week ago, the tourist police along with the lifeguards had caught one person who tried to rob a tourist. He was subsequently handed over to the police.
The interviews for tourist security force came to a halt with the enforcement of the electoral code of conduct. The Tourism Department was in the process of finalising the 3,000 shortlisted candidates interviewed for the post of ‘tourist wardens’.
