The idea came to Kolokoltsev after studying a similar police practice in Israel. Today, special tourist police regiments operate in Spain, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, some states in India, Thailand, Argentina and Zambia. In recent years, it has been set up in Venezuela, Ecuador, Vietnam and South Korea. Tourist police headcount varies from a few dozen to a few thousand from country to country, however the task is identical — assisting foreigners who are in distress in a foreign country, often with no knowledge of the language. Police officers who speak foreign languages help tourists who have suffered from thieves and muggers, prevent and resolve conflicts between travelers and restaurant/hotel owners, give directions on the street. Tourist cops also prevent crime in tourist areas, combat illegal business targeting foreigners (unlicensed tours, prostitution etc.) Interestingly enough, some of the world’s best-known tourist magnets such as France, Italy or Czech Republic do not have tourist police.

Special, foreigner-friendly police is an indication that the authorities recognize the importance of tourism and attempts to solve problems that hinder its development. There could be system problems (corruption, malfeasance, police cruelty) or individual problems (low foreign language proficiency) faced by the police force. On the other hand, this reflects the inability of ordinary police to assist foreigners, while city institutions and navigation fail to comply with tourist center standards. However, the role of tourism in Russia’s economy is less prominent than in countries that have tourist police. Can ordinary Russians hope for assistance from the ‘good cops’? It’s worth learning a foreign language just to try.

Project Group №6