Port Blair: With tourism emerging as the economic lifeline of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, the Andaman & Nicobar Police has stepped up efforts to build a more professional, tourist-friendly and technology-driven policing system through a specialised training programme on “Tourism Policing” conducted at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Police Training Institute (NSCBPTI), Sri Vijaya Puram. The week-long training programme, organized in collaboration with Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU), Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from May 25 to 29, aimed at equipping police personnel with modern skills required for handling tourism-related duties, public interaction and emerging security challenges in tourism-centric areas of the Islands.
A total of 56 police personnel participated in the programme, which focused on strengthening behavioural skills, operational preparedness and professional competencies to ensure the safety and security of tourists while promoting the Islands as a safe, secure and welcoming destination for visitors from across the world.
Officials said the initiative assumes greater significance in view of the rapidly expanding tourism sector in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, where police personnel are often the first point of contact for tourists. The programme sought to sensitize participants towards modern policing approaches that balance security, hospitality and environmental sensitivity.
The training covered a wide range of contemporary subjects including tourism policing concepts, soft skills and cultural sensitivity, crowd psychology at tourist destinations, emergency response and crisis management, disaster management, cyber crimes targeting tourists, media and social media handling, public order management and the protection of indigenous tribes and eco-sensitive zones.
Special emphasis was also laid on the use of Artificial Intelligence and modern surveillance technologies for tourist safety, risk mapping of tourism hubs and community engagement strategies to enhance public trust and coordination. The programme was conducted under the academic collaboration framework established through a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Andaman & Nicobar Police and Rashtriya Raksha University on March 3, 2025. The MoU aims to strengthen professional training, research and knowledge-sharing initiatives for police personnel in the Islands.
Eminent faculty members and subject experts from RRU delivered interactive sessions during the programme. Offline sessions were conducted by Vishal Katariya, Research Officer, and Dr. Ruchika Singla, Assistant Professor and Director (In-charge), School of Internal Security and SMART Policing, RRU. Several other experts, including Sagar Ghodasara, Dr. Mohammad Akmal Shah, Assistant Director, RRU, and Sourav Dey, joined through online mode to address participants on emerging challenges and best practices in tourism policing. The valedictory session of the programme was held on May 29 at NSCBPTI, Sri Vijaya Puram. Participants appreciated the practical and comprehensive nature of the training and expressed confidence that the knowledge gained would help them discharge their responsibilities more effectively in tourism-sensitive areas of the Islands.
The initiative is being viewed as a significant step towards creating a professional and responsive policing environment capable of supporting the growing tourism industry while enhancing the global image of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands as a secure and tourist-friendly destination.
