HCMC needs tourist police bureau

City authorities have asked the Police Department to establish a tourist police bureau to improve security for tourists visiting the city.The city's culture, sports and tourism department deputy director, La Quoc Khanh, said the city is now the biggest tourism revenue earner in the country. It attracts 60% of all international arrivals to Vietnam and is regarded as the country's commercial capital.

We need professionals who have been trained to provide security for tourists similar to Thailand and Hong Kong.According to the department, the city is plagued by pickpockets who work in gangs in the city centre. They snatch cameras, cash, cards and bags.In 2006, the city established a tourist guard team with members recruited from the HCMC Voluntary Youth League to serve as security guards, but there are short-comings in the system.

Petty theft involving tourists has been a problem in Ho Chi Minh City for decades.There are 200 volunteer security guards around hotels in downtown districts.From January to 20 June, the city welcomed 1.65 million international visitors, up 10% year on last year.

Around 60% of visitors or 990,000 visits the city as tourists, while another 300,000 are on business and 360,000 are visiting relatives.The top 10 supply countries are the United States, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Korea, China, Malaysia, Singapore, France and Russia.

Source = ttrweekly