SA police unit mooted for crime against tourists

The government is considering establishing a specialised police unit to deal with crime involving tourists as one of the measures to boost the economy and make South Africa more attractive to domestic and foreign visitors, reports BusinessLIVE. This is one of the proposals contained in the Green Paper on the Development and Promotion of Tourism in SA published for public consultation on Friday. The paper reads that despite being a major contributor to GDP, the sector has yet to exploit its full potential. One of the hindrances highlighted in the document is the country’s high crime rate, which often makes international headlines. The Department of Tourism, headed by Patricia de Lille, says crime deters local and international tourists from travelling to and within SA. ‘A research-based tourism safety response programme is to be implemented and there is to be an investigation on the establishment of a specialised police unit with capacity for focused preventive measures and the swift resolution of incidents involving tourists,’ the Green Paper reads. The department references the examples of Dominican Republic, Kenya, Ghana, Malaysia and Egypt as destinations that have established targeted tourist police units supporting tourists and handling complaints. Many countries worldwide warn their citizens about possible pitfalls of visiting SA, regarded as one of the most violent countries globally. The Green Paper notes that the frequency of public protests affecting public roads and published national crime statistics have led to SA being perceived as an unsafe destination in some source markets.

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