Citizen collaboration is a powerful strategy, indicates this American who visited Guayaquil in the middle of this month.
The tourist security expert Peter Tarlow debuted in this field some forty years ago, when the population of Hot Springs (Arkansas), Where Bill Clinton began his political career, he asked for his advice on the creation of a nightlife zone that would help the local entertainment industry, as well as increase its attractiveness as a destination for travelers. But there was a problem: that initiative was being developed within walking distance of homes for the elderly. “I told them it would be a disaster. The elderly will not be able to sleep. And that they would surely receive lawsuits in six months ”. And so it happened. “They were surprised that what they had planned was fulfilled.” That is why they hired him to put those projects in order and draw up a tourist safety plan.
Thus was born the national reputation of this doctor in Tourism who began to be called by other towns interested in developing as destinations for travelers, including those bordering Mexico that suffered from drug trafficking problems. The fight against crime led him years later to learn about terrorism, becoming one of the few experts on these issues when the attack on the Twin Towers (New York) occurred on September 11, 2001.
For this reason, the United States Government hired him as a tourism security advisor for the western states of that country, a position that became more relevant during the winter Olympics of Salt Lake City, in February 2002, a few months after the 9-11 attack. It trained 16,000 police officers who were in charge of protecting athletes and visitors. “Thank God, and with many prayers, we did not have any problems.”
Since then, Peter Tarlow’s prestige has continued to grow inside and outside the United States, having worked in a variety of destinations where he has learned that security involves the entire social conglomerate, not just the authorities. “We will never have enough police, we will never have enough resources. ” And to prove it, he shares these cases, which he knows closely.
New York: A beautiful city is a safer city. In the early 90s, New York was submerged in trash and graffiti, which conveyed a feeling of depression in the inhabitants, who suffered a terrible wave of crime. So when Rudolph Giuliani became mayor in 1994, one of his first strategies was to clean up the city. “He had the police plant flowers and clean up the graffiti. There were people who made fun and said that the Police should do more important things than that. But then the crime and delinquency numbers began to drop. The cleaner I cleaned, the lower I went … When there is respect for the city, there is much more respect for the citizen ”. That education must come from families, educational units and even religious groups, he says. “It is common to say that poverty generates crime, but we all know honest poor people and rich people who are thieves.”
Honolulu (Hawaii): the retirees who took action. In the mid-1990s, the city of Honolulu suffered from crime in its tourist area, known as Waikiki. The authorities decided to reconquer it, for which they undertook a joint plan with the participation of the Mayor’s Office, the Governor’s Office, the Prosecutor’s Office, the press, private companies … “Honolulu didn’t have a large police force, so we turned to retired people who volunteered. They became the eyes and ears of the Police ”, explains Peter, who participated in that program. “They were called Aloha Patrol. They would walk the streets and call the police if they saw a problem. That generated in the public the feeling that they could speak with someone close to them about their complaints ”. This initiative restored peace to Waikiki and turned volunteers into engaged citizens who are proud of their urban environment, giving a positive boost to the entire destination. Tarlow adds that he undertook similar programs elsewhere, such as on the Caribbean island of Curacao, but in that case he did it with civil employees duly trained and who worked for the local tourist office in order to monitor the beaches, especially the most remote ones.
College Station (Texas): Students who managed to avoid alcohol-related traffic accidents. Peter resides in the city of College Station, whose economy is largely driven by Texas A&M University, which has about 40,000 students from various cities. “There is not much difference between a university student and a tourist. They are long-term tourists ”. The problem was that several of these young people used to get drunk on the weekends, which generated traffic accidents with deaths. This great security problem perceived a decade ago was solved, first, with a law that prohibited getting into a vehicle with a drunk driver, for which all passengers became jointly responsible for this infraction. But the most decisive thing was when the students themselves created the Give a Ride program with volunteers who could be called at any time so that they could take the young people over the liquor home free of charge. “They wanted no drunk to drive. Without asking them questions or judging them… That has changed the atmosphere of the entire university. The students took it as their responsibility ”.
This is precisely what every community should do, says Peter, but without exposing yourself to dangers. “In each site there were citizens who wanted to solve their problems. And they all managed to do it ”. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
