Policing Tourism: Findings From an Evaluation of a Tourism-oriented Policing Training Program in the Caribbean

Abstract

This article evaluates a tourism-oriented policing (TOP) training program that was conducted with police officers in the Caribbean island of Tobago. It focuses on TOP and its increasing role in contemporary police practices, especially at destinations that depend on tourism for survival. The article explores previous tourism policing approaches, the need for tourist safety and the necessity for police departments to contemporise their policing by moving away from former paradigms of police officers as generalists. The study utilises a quantitative case study approach in surveying the TOP training program, with data analysed from pre- and post-test questionnaires of 25 participants. Descriptive results indicate general satisfaction with the training, a belief that tourism security is beneficial to the tourism industry in Tobago and that senior police officers should all receive TOP training.

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Published: 2020-08-05
Pages:159 to 173
Section:Articles
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How to Cite
Wallace, W. C. (2020) “Policing Tourism: Findings From an Evaluation of a Tourism-oriented Policing Training Program in the Caribbean”, International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy, 9(3), pp. 159-173. doi: 10.5204/ijcjsd.v9i3.1416.

Author Biography

The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine
 Trinidad and Tobago

Wendell Codrington Wallace is a lecturer of Criminology and Criminal Justice at The University of the West Indies (The UWI), St. Augustine. He also an attorney-at-law who has been called to the bar in both England and Wales and Trinidad and Tobago as well as a certified mediator with the Mediation Board of Trinidad and Tobago. His research and teaching interests include policing, gangs, tourism/crime nexus, organized crime, violence and criminal justice systems. His research has been published by Journal of Gang Research, Caribbean Journal of Criminology and Public Safety, Journal of Eastern Caribbean Studies Crime, Journal of Behavioral and  Social Sciences, Policing and Society, and Justice Policy Journal. He is the co-editor of 'Trends in the Judiciary: Interviews with Judges Across the Globe, Volume 4' with Drs. Michael Berlin and Dilip Das (CRC Press).