The Goa tourism department is planning to build a tourist security force comprising 100 men for better patrolling at tourist places, including beaches. The department’s move is aimed at reducing its dependence on police for security. Currently, tourism department has employed 22 ex-servicemen, who serve as tourist security personnel along with personnel from the India Reserve Battalion, but the number is small and fails to meet the department’s needs. The tourism department has not been able to have 24-hour security at popular tourist spots in the state.
Goa Tourism minister Dilip Parulekar said once we have our own full-fledged tourist security force, we will able to have 24×7 patrolling at tourist places, especially at beaches like Calangute, Baga and Candolim, which have a high presence of tourists at night. He said in the past, the department had some difficulties in attracting ex-servicemen to work as part of tourism security force as they prefer to take higher paying jobs like at ATMs and banks. Keeping this in mind, Parulekar said, the department has already sought to make certain changes so that persons, who otherwise fit the criteria to work as security personnel and not necessarily ex-security personnel, are recruited. The tourism minister said that if a candidate meets the physical criteria to perform the duties of a security man and has experience of working at a private security firm he will be considered.
