tourism police unit

Policing Tourist Areas: Working Where Others Play

Law enforcement officers who work in tourism towns have a two-fold mission, protecting the locals and protecting the droves of tourists that the locals depend upon for their livelihood and their departments depend upon for operating funds. That may sound crass but law enforcement agencies in destination areas have to be aware of the numbers and what they mean.

American tourism is big business. In one month international visitors to the United States can spend more than $15.4 billion. And that's expected to rise. The National Travel and Tourism Strategy, launched in 2012, was created to draw 100 million international visitors to the U.S. by 2021 with hopes of having them spend $250 billion annually. And that's just international visitors. Your fellow Americans are also traveling to U.S. tourist sites and opening wide their wallets.

Destination areas have two populations: the year-round locals and the visitors. A small beach town of 50,000 can swell to 10 times that size during the summer. The agency serving that town has to have resources and personnel well beyond what it could afford if its budget were based on the local tax base. So tourism dollars are the life's blood for such an agency.

To keep the tourism dollars flowing, destination area officers must ensure that both the visitors and the locals are safe and secure, all while maintaining the fun and friendly atmosphere that attracts people to the area. Officers in tourism areas have to be adept at crime prevention, crime response, and crime fighting, all while keeping smiles on their faces.

The following is a look at what it's like to work some of the nation's busiest playgrounds.

Out on I-Drive

The Orange County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office has one of the nation's most enviable and challenging tourism jurisdictions, including Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and all of the other theme parks and tourist attractions just outside of Orlando.

Capt. Gil McDaniel says he and the other officers of the Orange County SO must always be aware that their job is to protect and serve not only the locals, but the area's 56 million visitors per year, including presidential candidates, foreign dignitaries, and celebrities.

Working the International Drive corridor (I-Drive in local parlance), which is lined with theme parks, hotels, restaurants, and one of the nation's largest convention centers, McDaniel oversees 76 deputies who are supported by tactical and mounted patrol units and traffic and motorcycle squads. "Overall this is one of the safest places on Earth. Our crimes are crimes of opportunities. The biggest thorn in my side is car burglaries," he says.

McDaniel believes that people have a tendency to forget basic street smarts when they arrive in Orlando. "On vacation, you're here to unwind and have fun, you're drinking in all the beauty and the cool stuff you see, and so you might not be on your guard so much," he says. "You might be shopping at Coach and then stick your bags in your car seat where anyone walking by can see, and not lock your door."

Hotel burglaries tend to be another crime of opportunity against unwary tourists. McDaniel says tourists sometimes prop open their hotel room doors because one of their kids has the room key down at the pool. Other tourists might leave say a computer tablet in the business center when they use the restroom, and when they return, it's gone, along with a wealth of personal information.

The theft of personal information and identity fraud is a growing problem in America's tourist areas, and McDaniel says these scammers like to hit travelers when they are most vulnerable. He explains how "pizza flyer guys" will slip a flyer under a tourist's door offering great prices for credit card purchase and then, after a long day of sightseeing, that tourist will come back to the room and order the $12.99 large pepperoni. The scammers now have the tourist's credit card number, and the tourist never even gets a pizza.

Orange County SO has forged a community-driven strategy to combat crimes against tourists. As part of this strategy, officers are encouraged to take the time to have friendly chats with residents, tourists, business owners, and security from the theme parks like Sea World. "We are grippin' and greetin,' meeting people," McDaniel says. He explains that Orange County SO deputies might take a picture with a kid or talk with hotel security, but they're working—even if it just looks like they're chatting. Through all this grippin' and greetin' Orange County SO deputies are actually building relationships and pushing the Sheriff's message of "if you see something, say something," according to McDaniel.

But community policing and tips are just one part of Orange County SO's crime prevention effort. Another major element of the agency's strategy is identifying hot spots using Compstat.

"Every morning on my phone, I get stats on my district…and direct resources to it. It's like insider trading. Now we're getting [stats] in real time, so we're always on it," McDaniel says. He explains that the agency uses Compstat to map patterns and uses this data to "find, fix, and arrest" the perpetrators.

Enforcing the law in a tourist area requires a different way of policing, McDaniel confirms. "With all these heads and beds, we need all of these hotel rooms to be full and these people eating in restaurants because the tourist core is our economic core."

How does that translate to policing? "If I stop a resident in traffic…they know the laws and should know better, so they'll probably get a ticket. But if one of our officers sees someone who is driving strangely and stops that person and finds he is from Europe in a rental car, having trouble driving on the right side of the road or lost, that officer is likely to be more sympathetic and correct the behavior."

Says McDaniel: "At the end of the day it's customer service. Some deputies don't like when I say this, but we protect and serve our customers. They don't need John Wayne chewing on a toothpick. They need someone better, more polished…if you're unprofessional, yelling at people…you're affecting everyone in this county. You may be the only contact this tourist has with Americans. They may have saved up for five years to go on this vacation with their five kids."

It's a Small World

Across the country in another Orange County, the Anaheim (Calif.) Police Department patrols another theme park corridor, including the granddaddy of them all, Disneyland.

"We don't see an increase in crime as a result of having resort areas," says Lt. Bob Dunn, Anaheim PD's public information officer. He explains the department's strategy to prevent crimes against both locals and tourists is to build networks and promote communication with all elements of the community.

"The more we visit and engage with people and let them know what would make them a victim, the more we see it does prevent [crime]," Dunn says.

The Anaheim PD produces a PSA of safety tips and has worked with hotels to place it on the guest TV channel. The department is active on social media, too. And it trains "Resort Ambassadors," volunteer foot patrols that provide directions and act as an information source.

Anaheim PD has found partnerships to be a crucial part of its public safety strategy. These partnerships include working with Disney security, other theme park personnel, hotel staff, and other key players. The agency also keeps up with best practices at tourism policing conferences, and has helped businesses set up a Crime Alert Network. The network lets participants share information about various criminal activities; for example, someone stealing credit cards.

And like its counterpart in Orange County, Fla., the Anaheim PD boasts a robust crime analysis unit that spots trends such as analyzing repeat 911 call locations. "Every week we have a crime meeting where we study calls for service," Dunn says. "We have conversations about the best approaches to this information, how to get it solved, how to prevent it."

Edge of the Smokies

Gatlinburg, Tenn., Police Chief Randy Brackins agrees policing tourist areas requires a bit more finesse than policing other locations. "It's definitely different from normal policing," he says. "We have to be very hospitable."

Gatlinburg's population is 4,100, but overnight in peak season it swells to anywhere from 45,000 to 65,000. The Fourth of July parade, which starts the night of July 3, draws 60,000 to 80,000 folks to the town's sidewalks.

Like Orange County SO's McDaniel, Brackins says tourists can find themselves victims by not being cautious. "Maybe they've had an extra drink or two, and they're walking around town more relaxed, not on guard as much. They get caught up in visiting shops and don't pay as much attention," he explains.

While Gatlinburg has some theft from visitors leaving behind cell phones or cameras, Brackins say his main problem is bottlenecked traffic through town, as route 441 leads into Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Gatlinburg uses walking patrols and bicycle patrols on the "packed" sidewalks.

"We have as many officers out there as we can see," Brackins says. In peak season, they overlap a 10-hour shift. "Our goal is to reduce crime and have a higher quality of visitor experience. If they're safe and feel good, they see officers around, they have a better vacation and feel at ease. It makes them want to come back. We want you (our visitors) to just be yourself and not worry about crime…we have to worry about crime."

Brackins says partnerships are key to crime prevention in tourism areas. His officers regularly meet with the Gatlinburg Merchants Association and have established a notification system that lets them alert officers to specific concerns such as "counterfeit 20s or suspicious persons."

Falling Water

Head north of Buffalo, N.Y., and across the Canadian border and you will see 6 million cubic feet of water gushing every minute. You'll also meet officers who understand what it takes to police a tourist area.

"It is unique, different from policing any other area," reports Staff Sgt. Brian Ash of the Niagara Regional Police Service in Ontario, Canada. Ash says his region has quadrupled in population over the past 15 years. The region covers two casinos, a large convention center, and 100,000 hotel rooms. And, like the Gatlinburg area, the region's population balloons from May to Labor Day and during special events (like when Nik Wallenda walks across the Falls on a tightrope.)

Policing in the Niagara region can be different because it is transient for victims—and for criminals. The bad guys come to the area, which is target rich—and move on. Their primary source of criminal income while in the Niagara region is vehicle burglary and vehicle theft.

"Tourists are more likely to have valuables on them or in their vehicles, more money, more belongings….and there's so many vehicles available [in parking lots]. So the thieves can find high-end vehicles they're interested in stealing," Ash says.

Besides lost or stolen property, including passports, the casino district has alcohol-related calls, bar fights, and hotel evictions, particularly when hotels rent at a lower rate in the off season. The police also track crime data through an analyst and learn if certain parking lots of a hotel are hit at certain hours.

"We're out there with proactive things; we stay ahead of it with a higher visibility plan to be in those parking lots and do covert things, too," Ash says. "We'll put an undercover in, and someone may end up stealing from the wrong vehicle."

Fighting Back

"The bad guys are looking through binoculars at lost tourists, and they see easy pickings," says Dr. Ken Peak, a professor of criminal justice at the University of Nevada Reno, co-author of the 2004 Department of Justice guide "Crimes Against Tourists" and author of 30 law enforcement books. "So there are obvious venues, special events, sites that are magnets for people. It's like the 'Vacation' movies with Chevy Chase. People get in a rental car, there's poor signage, and before you know it they're lost and can be a target."

Peak, a former police officer, believes the answer to crime in tourism area is technology such as Compstat and predictive policing, not dummy cameras or empty police cars. He says crime can be subtle, not on the radar screen. You're not aware until you get a cluster. "We have to be able to identify crimes against the tourists and act against them. Because individual police retire, forget, but computers remember."

All departments contacted for this article told POLICE they analyze data but don't keep tourism crime statistics.

So maybe the best approach to policing in a tourist area was voiced by Orange County SO's McDaniel. "Get out of your car. Go meet people. You know the old adage 'It takes a village to raise a child'?" he asks. "Well it takes a village to police it. You can't rely on a cop in a car anymore. We must share information and come together. It works this way. Everyone pitches in, they help us, we help them."

Kristine Meldrum Denholm is an award-winning freelance journalist based in Washington, D.C., and a frequent contributor to POLICE . She wrote for ATF's press office for 10 years.

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How important is a Tourist Police unit in Africa?

Anugwolu Timothy

Tourism is a critical revenue source for many countries. As of 2019 , tourism was recorded to contribute 10.3 per cent to the global GDP (US$9.6 trillion) . Although that figure has reduced marginally since then, it is clear that tourism continues to be one of the world’s largest sectors.

The safety and security of tourists should be a matter of concern because any real or perceived insecurity can destroy a tourism destination’s reputation. For the purpose of providing safety and security to tourists, it is important for countries in Africa to consider setting up tourist police units.

Specialist tourist police services are currently operating in Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Greece, Jordan, Brazil, The Philippines, London, USA, Greece, South Korea, Russia, Libya, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Peru, Vietnam and several other countries across the globe.

In Africa, Egypt, Kenya and Uganda are some of the countries that have a dedicated police unit for tourism safety and security. How have these countries found this helpful so far?

Advantages of a Police Tourism Safety Unit

1. it helps to prevent crime : .

A Police Tourism Safety Unit can help prevent crime by patrolling tourist areas and deterring criminal activity. This can help reduce the incidence of crime in tourist destinations and make them more attractive to tourists. Let’s talk about the story of Waza National Park in Cameroon .

In 2013, the park had about 4,000 visitors. As of 2022, the number of visitors was less than 300. What caused this drastic decrease, you may wonder? The region shares a border with Chad and Northern Nigeria, and has faced terrorist threats. No doubt, effective policing is of paramount importance for tourism destinations.

2. It ensures the safety of tourists : 

One of the primary responsibilities of a Police Tourism Safety Unit is to ensure the safety and security of tourists. They also respond to emergencies and provide support to tourists who require it.

In countries such as Egypt, tourist police officers are trained to interact with tourists, assist with directions and also provide insights about the country’s tourism products. These officers also educate foreign tourists on the laws they are expected to abide by.

This is one of the reasons why the South African Department of Tourism has set plans in motion to establish a dedicated police tourism unit . On a smaller scale, they have engaged the local youths and stationed them at different tourist attractions as safety observers. With a dedicated police safety unit, that arrangement will look a lot more professional and assuring.

3. It enhances the reputation of a tourist destination :

Tourists are more likely to visit a destination that is known to be safe and secure. A Police Tourism Safety Unit can help enhance the reputation of a tourist destination by ensuring that tourists feel safe and comfortable while visiting.

In 2022, Egypt had 11.7 million tourists . If tourist security is effective, it can be a powerful marketing tool to attract people to your hotels, destinations, or communities.

Is it possible to implement this locally (in Nigeria)?

Law enforcement has been an issue in Nigeria recently, so a dedicated Police Tourism Safety Unit can help build trust and positive relationships between law enforcement and tourists. They know who to trust and who is on their side.

With that in mind, it is natural to admit that such jobs may not be appropriate for everyone. These officers need to be people with high degrees of tolerance and civility. On the other hand, these officers should be paid the same wages as their counterparts.

There should be no internal discrimination and officers should be allowed a chance at career progression.

Granted, like almost every public sector, resources in the Police Civil Service are stretched thin. However, if we want to develop tourism policies for sustainable and inclusive growth, a dedicated police tourism safety unit should be given more consideration.

Further Reading: Tourism-Oriented Policing and Protection Services

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Small Towns, Big Crowds: Policing Tourist Destinations

August 2019 | Volume 12 | Issue 7

Tourists do the darndest things: leave hotel room doors propped open, wade into traffic with eyes fixed on cell phones, and climb lamp posts to take selfies, to name a few. They sometimes feel as if local laws and safety precautions don’t apply when they’re on holiday. Or, as one police chief remarked, “Some leave their brains at home when they go on vacation.”

All of this can make policing tourist destinations challenging—especially in small towns, such as beach or mountain resorts, whose populations may grow ten- or even hundredfold in peak season. Dealing with the additional load on their services and personnel may not be easy, but many local departments have found ways to keep both visitors and community safe and happy while not breaking the bank.

Extra Eyes and Ears for the Force

Community policing is especially important in these destinations, where police rely on hotel clerks, bartenders, boutique owners, and others who are on the front line of the tourist scene to be their eyes and ears. In Sturgis, South Dakota, which holds a ten day motorcycle rally and music festival that attracts around 500,000 additional people to the town of 7,000 every July, Police Chief Geody VanDewater holds a pre-rally meeting with bars and liquor establishments.

“I want to have working relationships with these individuals so that if I have issues, or they do, we have direct contact with each other,” he says. There have been shootings in these bars, and their staff have helped the department by giving statements. They have their own security, but rely on us to remove intoxicated and unruly patrons.”

”Community policing is important to us in other ways too,” VanDewater adds. “We encourage our officers to have friendly interaction with tourists as well as locals, and they do interact, chatting and taking pictures with people. They enjoy doing it too because pretty much everybody is friendly during the rally.”

Internships for Seasonal Officers

Class One Special Law Enforcement Officers (SLEO I) are trained and empowered to issue summonses for parking and local ordinance enforcement, and for minor incidents such as disorderly behavior, but they do not carry a firearm. While employed, Class Two Seasonal Law Enforcement Officers (SLEO II) have the authority and arrest powers of fulltime police officers, and they carry a firearm. Most SLEOs are studying criminal justice and all get credit for the internship from their colleges.

Off Duty Cops and Safety Ambassadors 

The Sturgis Police Department usually hires 15 volunteer officers, who come in from all over the country to work full-time during the rally. Some are employed by other agencies and take leave to do this; others are retired. According to Chief VanDewater, they come for the camaraderie. “One guy has been doing this for 41 years,” he says. “To recruit, we put the word out through emails, in social media, and in local fusion centers. We outfit them with grey polo shirts and feed them, but they work for the fun of it.”

Though they are not employees of the Grand Rapids (Michigan) Police Department , Safety Ambassadors hired by Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc. and managed by the Block by Block Company are assets to the department. Block by Block provides safety, cleaning, and outreach services to downtown improvement districts in customizable programs, which Grand Rapids adapted to their public safety needs.

Many of their Ambassadors receive training in skills such as physical and mental health first aid, treating drug overdoses, and spotting sex trafficking. Though not trained to intervene in crime, they have been credited with stopping a potential burglary and a domestic abuse situation. Just as importantly, they know how to be good witnesses and call the police for assistance or to report a crime. According to Rebecca Krenz, Operations Manager of the Downtown Grand Rapids Ambassador Program , “We're feet on the streets and often first on the scene when things happen.” 

Recruitment and Housing Options

Yet recruitment isn’t always easy, even in desirable vacation locations. A big obstacle is housing. The Ocean City (Maryland) Police Departmental Housing Program leases homes, which they sublease at cost to seasonal employees. They also have a Housing Alternatives List, with contact information for departmental officers, officers from other agencies, and friends of the department with houses or rooms for rent. Another option is their Facebook group, where seasonal employees can discuss housing and find roommates.

Sources for Financial Support

There are additional sources for funding as well. Chief Marino of the Cape May Police Department suggests trying foundations supported by various companies. “The WaWa Foundation , which supports a Heroes Award, provided funding for load bearing vests for our officers, to lessen the load on their duty belts, which can cause back programs. Companies like that may fund other needs. It may be possible to find someone in the community to do research and writing for grant funding.”

In some cities and larger resort destinations, tourist boards fund law enforcement efforts to maintain public safety. According to a June 4, 2018 article in the Tennessean newspaper, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp provides its city police department with an annual grant of $100,000 to ensure tourist safety, and also pays for police overtime at special events.

In Nevada, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority funds an analyst at the Las Vegas Metro Police Department’s Southern Nevada Counter Terrorism Center who is responsible for sharing safety information from the police department with the tourism community, and acts as a liaison between event producers, resort partners, and local public safety agencies. 1

The Bottom Line

Tourism is a growing source of employment and revenue throughout our country. According to the U.S. Travel Association , direct spending by domestic and international travelers in the U.S. averaged $3 billion a day for a total of $1.1 trillion in 2018. According to the association’s Travel Impact Calculator , the economic impact of a 4.95 percent increase in 2019 travel spending could result in almost $4 billion in additional state and local tax revenues, which could fund the hiring of an additional 60,300 American law enforcement officers.

What’s more, the benefits of tourism extend beyond the revenue, to the interactions that all members of the community, including law enforcement officers, have with people from all over the U.S. and the world. Like other members of the community, the men and women in blue are ambassadors for their towns and for our country, and their contacts with travelers can leave a positive lasting impression.  

Tourism will continue to pose challenges as it grows, but creative approaches to meeting them will open new opportunities for relationships and collaboration within and outside of their community—a win-win for everybody.

Faye Elkins Sr. Technical Writer

Sources for More Information

Planning and Managing Security for Major Special Events: Training Curricula Planning and Managing Security for Major Special Events: Guidelines for Law Enforcement

References: 1. https://skift.com/2018/07/16/tourism-boards-offer-funding-to-city-police-departments-to-boost-security/

Resources for Further Reading

Effects of the Hypervigilance Biological Rollercoaster

2. Fox, J., Desai, M.M., Britten, K., Lucas, G., Luneau, R., & Rosenthal, M.S. (2012). Mental-Health Conditions, Barriers to Care, and Productivity Loss Among Officers in An Urban Police Department. Connecticut Medicine , 76 (9): 525-531.

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Overtourism as Destination Risk

ISBN : 978-1-83909-707-2 , eISBN : 978-1-83909-706-5

Publication date: 13 May 2021

Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors and plays a key role for the economy of various countries. Tourism sector provides lot of opportunities and challenges to its stakeholders. Tourist's safety and security plays a vital role to increase the tourists to a location. Tourism policing plays an essential role to build destination image. Governments are making many efforts through tourism policing to protect the safety and security of the domestic and foreign tourist and also to handle overtourism and enhance responsible tourism. This paper analyses the importance of tourism policing to attract more tourists and its impact on tourist destination image building.

• Overtourism
• Tourism policing
• Tourism marketing
• Destination image
• Tourist safety
• Responsible tourism

Ganesan, M. and Athimuthu, R. (2021), "Role of Tourism Policing to Improve Tourist Destination Image", Sharma, A. and Hassan, A. (Ed.) Overtourism as Destination Risk ( Tourism Security-Safety and Post Conflict Destinations ), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 187-199. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83909-706-520211013

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Tourism Security in a Post-COVID-19 World: Issues of Tourism Policing and Civil Unrest

• First Online: 30 November 2021

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• Peter Tarlow   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7792-7427 5  

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The COVID-19 pandemic has created new and challenging issues for tourism policing. Prior to COVID-19 tourism policing dealt with issues such as criminality and terrorism. Few police departments saw public health issues as part of their mandate, nor were most of their officials experts in pandemics and the interaction between health issues and tourism security. As the reader will see in this chapter, COVID-19 added a new layer to the role of the tourism security official. Not only were health regulations a part of the travel industry, but their flaunting became a crime committed by members of the tourism industry and their guests. Secondly, tourism security professionals also fell victim to the pandemic and had to care not only for the industry and its visitor’s health but also had their own families about which to worry. This chapter examines how tourism policing around the world faced new challenges and how the intersection of security and public health has changed, perhaps forever, the fundamentals of tourism policing.

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Tarlow, P. (2021). Tourism Security in a Post-COVID-19 World: Issues of Tourism Policing and Civil Unrest. In: Wilks, J., Pendergast, D., Leggat, P.A., Morgan, D. (eds) Tourist Health, Safety and Wellbeing in the New Normal. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5415-2_5

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TOURISM ORIENTED POLICING AND PROTECTION SERVICES (TOPPS

It is obvious that tourism is a critical revenue source for many countries and visitors are affected by the perception of safety and security at the destinations. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, tourism continues to be one of the world's largest sectors. In addition to this, Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report considers safety and security to be a pillar of tourism competitiveness with 'reliability of police services' a central anchor. As any safety or security mishap can destroy a tourism destination's reputation, the safety and security of tourists should be a matter of national security. In this context, it is believed that tourism police help create the destination image. For this purpose, the Tourist Police Unit should be set up in order to provide safety and security to tourists. Any investments in tourism oriented policing will be an investment in the economic future of the destination and the country. If a country wants to increase its competitiveness in the tourism industry, tourist police system must be introduced as soon as possible. The objective then is to become one of the top five most visited safe and secure destinations in the world. There should be consensus on the necessity to introduce a separate Tourism Police Unit at least in major cities such as Antalya, İstanbul and Konya. In short this paper provides an overview of tourism security and concentrates on the world of Tourism Oriented Policing and Protection services (TOPPs).

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For many countries, tourism is considered as having a great economic importance, with quite a large share in the country’s GDP. Hence, the number of foreign tourists is highly important. But worldwide, the threats and dangers are more frequent, and consequently tourists are becoming more aware of the necessity of a safe destination. Foreign tourists are educated in the spirit of touristic safety, and when choosing a particular destination, this aspect is of utmost importance. The image of the country or any touristic destination depends on the quality of the touristic products, which include not only the natural and cultural patrimony or the economic environment, but also the social and political climate, state order and citizens’ safety. A country with a good image for safe tourism can use it as a competitive advantage and attract different segments of the international tourism market. The paper presents some of the safety issues in tourism, focusing on the main aspects of tourism safety in Romania, based on the travel and tourism competitiveness index, with special focus on the third pillar – Safety and Security and the results of an on-line survey with managers and employees in tourism activities.

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The paper represents a product of mentor-graduate student cooperation, developed at the graduate study of Business Economics, major Tourism. Following the latest threatening events and having in mind those yet to come, we can conclude that no country can benefit from the tourism industry if at the same time does not develop its security system as an integral part of the standard tourist offer. Analyzing the trends in contemporary tourism, the safety and security issues became the decisive factors for the choice of a certain destination. Consequently, countries must not perceive security systems and measures as an unnecessary expense but as an essential element in organizing their tourist services. All hotels and respectable tourist agencies should have a crisis management, with detailed, thoroughly elaborated procedures for emergency situations. Tourists should be timely informed about the potential dangers and risks and the measures taken to prevent them, as well as on procedures for emergency situations. Additionally, it would be good to have mobile applications that would enable tourists to make direct emergency calls with instructions on behavior in crisis situations. It is also essential to implement and put into effect sophisticated security measures such as using surveillance cameras, controlling access to buildings, information exchange with colleagues and neighbors, reporting the suspicious occurrences to the security services, and training staff for crisis management. Having in mind everything stated above, the security issue is definitely one of the crucial factors in the development of tourism in a certain country.

Maximiliano E. Korstanje

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The article provides a review of the expansion of the concept of security and the relationship of security to tourism. It is argued that the concept of security has become transformed from one of collective security and common defence to embrace notions of common and cooperative security. Despite the damage done to the concept of collective security because of the United States led invasion of Iraq, the development of common security structures through collective, multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations remains important for the expansion of security concerns to cover the environment, health and economic threats. The article also notes that tourism and supranational tourism organizations have little influence on peace and security agendas although such agendas are important for tourism. Nevertheless, particularly at the micro-level, appropriate tourism development may serve as a means to ward off potential future conflict over resource and environmental security. Keywords: Collective security; common security; environmental security; tourism security; invasion of Iraq also published in: Hall, C.M., Timothy, D. and Duval, D. 2004, Security and tourism: towards a new understanding? pp.1-18 in Safety and Security in Tourism: Relationships, Management and Marketing, eds C.M. Hall, D. Duval, D. & D. Timothy, Haworth Press, New York.

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Getting results, tourist policing unit polices neighborhoods, not tourist areas, latest trend is criminals sneaking into occupied vacation rentals.

Erik von Ancken , Anchor/Reporter

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The Tourist Policing Unit at the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to protecting the most precious piece of Central Florida’s economy: tourism, as the eponymous name implies.

But to protect tourists, the TPU must spend its days and nights not in the tourist district of Osceola County, but rather in residential neighborhoods within driving distance of the attractions, according to the commander of the unit, Sgt. Chris Devlin.

[TRENDING: Deputy suspended over TikTok videos | Fla. teacher arrested in Capitol riot | Grizzly bear kills bicyclist ]

“Most people wouldn’t know that,” Devlin said. “They would expect us to be in the hotels on U.S. 192 but they don’t realize how many of these homes and townhomes are all occupied by people on vacation. I’d say almost all.”

Devlin said lately the way most tourists are taken advantage of is with theft or burglary at the vacation home they’re renting.

“The recent trend we have is nighttime burglaries to the single-family homes while the tourists were inside sleeping,” Devlin said.

Devlin said the rental homes are prime crime targets because visitors don’t know their neighbors, which gives criminals anonymity.

Tourists also bring money, cellphones, and credit cards and often leave their doors unlocked.

Several weeks ago, Devlin and his seven-person team analyzed break-ins at homes in the Windsor at Westside of unincorporated Osceola County.

They looked at the times of the break-ins and on which days they occurred and staked out the neighborhood overnight.

Eventually, detectives saw a figure slinking between houses. The man disappeared into a home and immediately they surrounded it and warned the renters.

“Detectives alerted the residents that this is what we got going on out here,” Devlin said. “They said, ‘No way, not in here.’ He was in there. A short time later there was some screaming in the house, the guy comes running out the door, luckily the detectives are still there and we’re able to chase him down the street and arrest him.”

Devlin said already detectives have connected the suspect to two other break-ins.

The TPU receives all property-related crimes that happen to tourists in Osceola County. So far this year, TPU has been given 300 cases.

Devlin said many of the cases have little evidence and are unsolvable in the short term but detectives still show up and collect the evidence expecting to connect it future cases when they can identify a suspect and M.O., like they did in the recent burglary arrest.

The ultimate goal of the TPU? To try and salvage a soured Central Florida vacation.

“It could be the most traumatic event that family has experienced in their life so far, especially for kids,” Devlin said.

Correction:

News 6 originally called the community Windsor Hills and has since corrected the name.

Copyright 2021 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.

About the Author

Erik von ancken.

Erik von Ancken anchors and reports for News 6 and is a two-time Emmy award-winning journalist in the prestigious and coveted "On-Camera Talent" categories for both anchoring and reporting.

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Tourism Unit

The unit is a nontraditional extension of the Council organizational structure, which has been working aggressively to promote and sustain an environment that encourages the growth of the Tourism industry in the City. With the City being the main port of entry for Cruise Tourism, newly created opportunities are surfacing which call for entrepreneurial activity, and which can significantly increase the level of commercial activity in the City.

The Council's Tourism Unit works very closely with the Belize Tourism Board (BTB) which is the organization that concentrates on tourism on a national level. The Council's Tourism Unit's primary responsibilities include: the monitoring of vendors and various operations that occur within the fort Street Tourism Area, communicating with the Tourism Police Unit to address the safety of visitors and vendors in the area, and working with the Belize tourism Board to continuously assess and develop the City's Tourism Industry.

Persons that would like to find out more information about services that are offered by the Tourism Unit may contact our office at telephone (501) 227-7205.

• Tourism Councillor: Stephanne Hamilton 

The Belize City Council

To revitalize the city by serving its people with enthusiasm, transparency, and efficiency.

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