Preetu Venugopalan Nair

Panaji, Nov 1 (TOI): In Goa tourists will not be the only ones capturing treasured moments on their camera. Now, as a security measure, hotel managements in the tourist state will be snapping a quick picture of every guest that checks into the hotel.

"Photos of all guests checking into the hotel may be clicked at the reception counter and kept for record," a Goa police advisory recently issued to hotels in the tourist state says.

The advisory also insists that hotels should not entertain "walk-in guests" (without reference or pre-bookings) and allow visitors for hotel guests no further than the reception. "Visitors wanting to meet guests should not be allowed to go to the guest's room but the guest should be asked to meet the visitor in the lobby/reception itself. All visitors must be given a visitor pass," the advisory states.

"The security environment in the present scenario demands a high level of alertness and proactive stance. We believe that these safety and security precautions will not pose any major inconvenience to hotel guests. Moreover, the security payoffs will outweigh the minor inconvenience to the guest," a senior police officer said.

The advisory was discussed at a meeting called by the police with the hotel and tourism industry on Wednesday last and agreed upon by those present.

At the meeting, DIG Ravindra Yadav reemphasized on the need to ensure security of tourists and hotels and guest houses to prevent any untoward incidents in the state and to safeguard tourists.

"The DIG reiterated the need to hire armed guards for security at hotels and said that so far nothing has been done in this connection. He also informed that 50 additional PCR vehicles will soon be inducted in Goa which will increase the police presence at strategic locations," sources said.

Hotels told to Upgrade Security for Physical Check

Hotels in the state will have to upgrade and increase their security staff for physical checking of persons, following an advisory from the police.

Stating that, "Stepping up patrolling can be an effective deterrent to criminals," it suggests that hotel security guards in plainclothes must be deployed on each hotel floor.

Hotels have also been asked to reduce the number of access points to two or three, besides installing hydraulic operated road barriers or retractable bollards at entry gates to stop vehicles coming at high speed.

To reduce the number of people with a criminal background working in hotels, the police have advised managements to ensure re-verification and cross-checking of hotel staff.

"All employees should wear identity cards and their biodata should have proper references, which must be verified. Temporary staff should be hired from reputed contractors who maintain up-todate databases," the advisory states.

It adds that if the hotel can be accessed from the beach then managements should erect watchtowers so that security personnel get a view from a vantage point. "Hotels should build up intelligence networking to draw information from internal as well as external segments of the hotel," the advisory added.