Keeping the Holy City safe with the Jerusalem Tourist Police squad
Every year, millions of pilgrims, tourists and diplomats descend on Jerusalem, with the safety and welfare of all its visitors being up utmost importance. Indeed, Jerusalem prides itself on remarkably low crime rates - even when it comes to the sorts of crime that tend to plague tourist hotspots. But Jerusalem's status as a statistically safe city is hardly a serendipitous coincidence - it's largely thanks to the tireless efforts of a special unit of the police dedicated to tourist safety, which, together with a team of volunteers, patrols the city night and day to ensure every visitor experiences the magic of the Holy City unaccosted.
Vigilant members of the Jerusalem Tourist Police make their presence felt at tourist sites citywide, from the heights of the Mount of Olives to the hills of Ein Kerem and everywhere in between, always available to address the needs and concerns of Jerusalem's scores of visitors, and wholly committed to maintaining the city's safe and welcoming atmosphere. Not only tourists benefit, either - the Tourist Police's constant patrols and crackdowns on unscrupulous merchants make life easier, and more profitable, for the legitimate business owners who cater largely to the tourist market.
The Jerusalem Tourist Police squad dates back to 1987 - while previous ad hoc police initiatives had focused on tourist issues, it wasn't until the formation of the Tourist Police that a unit was devoted exclusively to serving and protecting visitors. An associated group of volunteers called the Special Police Volunteer Unit, many of whom are native English speakers who specialize in dealing with the host of visitors from the Anglosphere, soon bolstered the ranks of the Tourist Police, increasing its reach and effectiveness.
Jerusalem Tourist Police squad members say that their most common task is helping to reunite lost tourists with their groups - more dramatic encounters are thankfully rare - but a typical day also includes tourist escort duty, regular patrols and check-ins with a network of contacts among tourism industry workers, who apprise the officers of local developments and keep an eye out for known offenders, especially pickpockets. Their aim, Commander Uzi Zait recently told the Jerusalem Post, is simple: "This is our main goal - to make tourists feel as secure here as any place in the world. The best situation is that they won't need us, that they will notice we're around, but won't feel Israel is more unusual than any tourist site in the world."
And giving tourists that peace of mind is what keeps the officers going. As Tourist Police officer Eldad Ben-Nun told the Post, "When [tourists] see us around, it increases their confidence that things will be okay.... When you've dealt with something successfully, and the person involved is satisfied, I'm also satisfied. I go home feeling good, and I come to work the next morning happy."
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