Monday, October 10, 2005

I'm Feeling Safer Already


St. Petersburg Announces Plans to Create Tourist Police
Authorities in the North Russian city of St. Petersburg, one of the country’s major tourist attractions, announced on Monday that a special tourist police will be set up in the city by summer 2006, the Interfax news agency reports.The agency quoted the chairman of the city’s committee for external relations and tourism, Aleksander Prokhorenko, as saying that the tourist police is set to start working next summer and that it will be manned by students. He said that employees of the new force will be dressed in uniforms and equipped with “special communication devices”. Foreign tourists could address them for information and also report any crimes or misdemeanors. The official said the planned wage of a tourist police employee will be 500 rubles (about $18) per shift.

1 comment:

portia said...

Um...didn't they always have "tourist" police? You know, the helpful guys who were one step ahead of where you wanted to go,--more um---where you were allowed to go? How is this different? Do these guys now sell maps to "Where the Politikos Live?" Heh.

Tourist Police:
"Please please, follow me, comrades. We take trip together...like in Amerika. Yah? C'mon, c'mon. Red Square. Wodka, too. Good, nyat? This way, this way. Happy, happy. We have big autobus...special seat just for you, but first please your passaporte."