Though the Delhi Police, since 2004, have set aside 90 police personnel tasked with maintaining the safety and wellbeing of tourists, many visitors said they were unaware of such a resource and still apprehensive about their safety in the Capital.
For a decade, Delhi Tourism Police have been deployed at 10 hubs throughout the city-Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi Railway Station, Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, Rajghat, Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Palika Bazar, Janpath, India Gate, and Paharganj – with the primary goal of helping tourists find their destination, helping during crises concerning one’s person or property, providing relevant information, and keeping off unfriendly advances.
While foreign tourists such as Marta from Poland said officers were generally nice and had helped with directions, most visitors felt a lack of security and assistance in situations they felt most vulnerable in. “At night, we don’t feel so safe, as well as at the places that are crowded,” said Nina Claus, a tourist from the Netherlands, touring India for three weeks.
Rachel Hood, a visitor from England, shared similar sentiments. “We have to be restrained in public so that we are not drawing attention to ourselves,” Ms. Hood said, adding that their travelling group of three women always remains together after having been followed while leaving a pub in the evening.
Pocha, a tourist from Taiwan, said in chaotic scenarios such as the overcrowding of metro stations, the security personnel are unable to act quickly. She said the aggressiveness of metro commuters – from pushing and shoving to not adhering to queue discipline – has deterred her from taking a trip.
At present, the Delhi Tourism Police have succeeded in creating a secure atmosphere during daylight tourism travels, as most foreign tourists reported feeling comfortable roaming the city. Tourism police have a simple comprehension of English language, said visitors such as Alonso Laime from Peru. He added that he had his basic questions answered despite a broken dialogue.
The Delhi Police have made efforts to reach out to the tourists through the Delhi Tourism Police. It has also issued “Guidelines for Foreigners Visiting Delhi”, which are available online (http://www.delhipo lice.nic.in/home/helpline/ guidelines.aspx) and opened a small shed-sized police station for tourists at Paharganj, outside the railway station, but these resources have largely gone unnoticed.
“We have learned a lot of stories about what not to do from other tourists,” said Gilad Noy from Israel, explaining that as many tourists did, their most common preparation tactic for travel was to consult friends and travellers who had been to Delhi. “We didn’t consult anything official like embassy or check government websites,” he added.
(The writer was an intern with The Hindu )
