Goa Authorities have decided to introduce a dedicated tourist police force with 100 policemen, trained in soft skills who will start patrolling the tourist belts on the beaches of Goa from Monday, World Tourism Day.
Currently, only a handful of IRB personnel are posted at the beaches, who are unable to patrol it effectively when it becomes crowded, like the Calangute beach during the season, which requires 24×7 patrolling.
The tourism department had wanted such a force for a long time. This patrolling is needed to rescue tourists from nuisance makers, prevent any illegal activities, and also fend off the illegal vendors.
The tourism officials want the new tourist police force to report on the shack operators putting up excess deck beds, beyond what is permitted. The congestion that ensues makes the beach unsuitable for walking freely. Currently, when complaints are made, the shack operators clean up the area before the police team arrives.
Although vendors selling goods, food items, and beverages and offering massages and other services are banned from the beaches, they enter the beaches when the current police patrol is not around. During the evening, when the police presence decreases, and especially during the night, these vendors make a killing, said a Baga shack operator. The presence of the new force might solve this problem.
They would also need to control the problem of drinking on the beaches, which is officially banned, said an official.
