A tourist police post has been set up in Nagarkot, a famous tourist destination around 35 kilometres north of Kathmandu, after five years of lobbying for the same by tourism entrepreneurs and locals.

“We are happy that the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation’s finally has finally paid heed to our calls,” said Deepak Lamichhane, chairman of Nagarkot Nuldhum Tourism Development Committee (NNTDC). Tourism entrepreneurs and locals had long been demanding a tourist police post in Nagarkot where incidents of robbery, theft and vandalism had become a nuisance.

Now, a three-room tourist police post has been set up at the cost of Rs 1.5 million and five tourist police personnel have been stationed under the leadership of Sub-Inspector Om Shrestha.

 “Tourists have long been complaining about being robbed and misbehaved. We hope presence of security personnel will help address the issue,” said AIG Pratap Singh Thapa.  

According to the NNTDC, tourist flow has significantly increased in recent days in Nagarkot which witnessed a sharp decline in tourist arrivals following the devastating earthquake last year.

“We have been receiving more than 1,000 tourists—both domestic and foreign—every day,” said Lamichhane of NNTDC.   

Tourist police as a special unit of Nepal Police was formed in 1979 with six officers and it works under the Tourism Ministry’s Tourism Industry Division. Its central office—Tourist Service Centre—is based in Bhrikutimandap.

According to Inspector Tulasa Khatiwada, chief of Tourist Service Centre, currently, a total of 227 police personnel have been mobilised in 25 different places in 16 different districts.

Basantapur, Thamel, Tribhuvan International Airport, Mangal Bazaar, Pashupatinath, Swoyambhu and Bhrikutimandap in the Valley are other areas where tourist police posts were established earlier.

Tourist police posts have also been established in Pokhara, Lukla, Lumbini, Birgunj, Janakpur, Jhapa, Rasuwa, Solukhumbu, Chitwan, Manang, Mustang and Myagdi among other places outside the Valley.