Tourist Police Officially Established

Tourist police, in new eye-catching uniforms, assist travellers in need (Photo provided by Public Security Police Force)

A new force operating under the auspices of the Public Security Police Force (PSP) called the Tourist Police officially commenced operations on 5th March, 2017 with a total of 40 officers. Some 30 Tourist Police officers will operate on the Macao Peninsula, including in tourist hotspots Senado Square, the Ruins of Saint Paul's, the Exhibition Hall of Na Tcha Temple, the Section of the Ancient Defence Walls, Saint Augustine Square and Saint Lawrence Church. Ten officers will operate in the islands, including in Rua do Cunha, Rua do Regedor and Estrada do Istmo (Cotai Strip).

Personnel selected for the role of Tourist Police are required to have professional police knowledge, such as crowd management and the handling of suspicious objects and so forth; they also need specific training in languages, tourist information and quality front-line service before assuming their posts. Tourist Police officers' main mission is to provide professional, quality services to residents and tourists, attending to tourist enquiries and lending them support in circumstances such as handling crime reports, answering enquiries about lost property, and giving directions to people who have lost their way and so on. Officers are also required to pay attention to the flow of people, diverting and managing them and reporting on site situations in order to enable effective and immediate management and the implementation of crowd control measures.

The PSP will continuously monitor the effectiveness of the Tourist Police, and the adjustment of places stationed, time and number of officers. By providing better quality and professional services, officers will demonstrate to tourists from all over the world a positive image of the warmth and kindness of the Macao police force, helping, in the process, to increase the tourist capacity of important tourist spots, and actively contributing to the city's aspirations to become a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure.