LAHORE: The Punjab police department will raise a new unarmed force — ‘Punjab Tourist Police’ — initially for Murree to help the tourists and their families following increasing incidents of harassment and violence by local shopkeepers at this most visited hill station of the country.

Several CCTV footage clips have gone viral recently showing shopkeepers and traders harassing families on the Mall Road of Murree, raising questions about police role.

Keeping in view the situation, Inspector General of Police Arif Nawaz Khan has given a go ahead for raising a new specialised force to curb such incidents in a recent meeting and assigned the task to the police operations wing additional IG to prepare a feasibility report in this regard.

A summary to this effect will be moved to Chief Minister Usman Buzdar for final approval, an official told Dawn.

He said the project would also be replicated in other areas of Punjab having tourist resorts if it proved successful at Murree.

About the project, he said, as per a police survey Murree remained top choice of tourists, where approximately 60,000 vehicles entered during the Eid holidays every year. The hill station also remained crowded in routine days, specially on weekends, he added.

He said many families visiting Murree required police help to lodge complaints against local shopkeepers and hotel owners for overcharging, misbehaviour and guidance for travel.

The official said the meeting chaired by the Punjab IG decided to execute the project as soon as possible in order to help promote tourism in the province.

Initially, 150 unarmed police personnel will be made the part of the force for deployment at all the tourists spots of Murree, including the Mall Road, Pindi Point, Kashmir Point, Patriata (New Murree), Bhurban, etc.

To be clad in specially designed uniform, the personnel will be given four to six weeks training on the pattern of similar forces operating in other countries like Malaysia and Thailand.

In addition to helping tourists facing harassment, the ‘Punjab Tourist Police’ will also rescue those trapped in snowfall, landsliding and traffic jams, besides providing them guidance regarding beautiful places of Murree.

The force would also be provided necessary logistical support by the Punjab police, he said, adding its personnel would be given special four-wheel quad motorbikes to patrol easily the streets and roads during and after snowfall and to reach the families in trouble.

A special communication network will be made available for the visitors/tourists to provide them direct access to the police.

An assistant superintendent of police (ASP) posted in Murree will head the field force, while the Rawalpindi city police officer (CPO) will be their overall in charge.

The official said the force personnel would not be assigned any other duty except their job defined in the plan.

To a question, he said the force would work 24/7 in all seasons as the Murree.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2019