‘Tourist police’ on the horizon

The Macau Security Forces Training College (ESFSM) announced a tourist-friendly training plan that aims to improve the police officers’ services for the tourist population.
The measure follows a recent announcement made during the Policy Address debate, where it was hinted that authorities could establish a “tourist police.” Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak said then that additional manpower would be deployed to major tourist attractions next year, with specific crowd control and crime prevention duties.
Public Security Police Force
commissioner Leong Man Cheong added that police officers with higher language proficiency are among the potential candidates for enlistment into the ever-expanding team.
The training courses will focus on three areas: communication, social matters and cultural knowledge of Macau. Subjects include Mandarin, English, Portuguese, International Etiquette, Customer Service, Emotional Management, History of Macau and basic knowledge of the Macau World Heritage Sites.
The classes will be provided in collaboration with the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT), Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau (SAFP) and the Portuguese Institute of the Orient (IPOR).
Starting in 2016, there will be eight training courses in total, with each course slated to run for 70 hours.