Uttar Pradesh Police acts for tourist safety after Swiss couple case

NEW DELHI: After the attack on the Swiss couple in Fathehpur Sikri, the UP Police has acted and state DGP Sulkhan Singh has issued a nine-point directive for the safety of tourists in the state, including having dedicated police units as 'Tourist Police'.

"UP gets lakhs of tourists every year and their security is of paramount importance," the DGP has said in his directive to all district police heads. He has directed that places with heavy tourist foot-falls should be identified and regular patrolling be ensured there by Police Response Vehicles and local police officials.

"Policemen in plain clothes should also be posted at these places to keep an eye on anti-social elements and if required, their photographs should be taken and action be taken against them," the new directives say. Policemen in uniform with basic knowledge of English should also be posted at the tourist spots sporting badge of 'Tourist Police', the DGP has directed. It has also been directed that mobile numbers of district officials be put up at railway stations, hotels, restaurants, malls and cyber cafes visited by tourists so that they can inform the police in case of any untoward incident.

The DGP has also asked for police verification of the antecedents of guides, photographers, taxi-drivers and hotel employees in tourist places as well as installation of CCTVs at the most-visited tourist spots. The DGP has also asked district police chiefs to inform tourists about various police units like UP-100, Twitter Sewa and E-FIR to enable them to reach out to the police using these mechanisms. The new directives also ask for immediate and strict action in case of any crime against female tourists.