Andaman police to learn English at 'language lab' for better tourist communication

Port Blair: The Andaman and Nicobar police will be trained and taught English, so that they can help the tourists in a better way on the island. A language lab has been set up in Andaman and Nicobar Islands to help police personnel to learn English and polish their communication skills.  

Confirming the initiative, a senior police official said that a large number of domestic and foreign national tourists come to Andaman every year. The beautiful white sandy beaches, rich coral reefs, lush green forest and the central government’s effort has resulted in an increase in the number of tourists to the island.

Language lab will elevate communication skills of police personnel, say police officials

Director General of Police, Devesh Chandra Srivastva said, "One of the key objectives of the Language Lab is to elevate the language skill of police personnel. It will have a direct impact on creating a positive experience for tourists visiting the islands," reported news agency PTI.

"Effective communication is a bridge between law enforcement and tourists, promoting a sense of safety and assistance," said the DGP.

Police sources said that the English language lab was set up at the Police Training School (PTS) at Prothrapur in Port Blair for the new trainees and in-service personnel, wherein the cops are using interactive software to enhance their communication and spoken English skills.

According to the data, a total of 2,39,522 tourists including 4461 foreign nationals visited the islands in 2022. While, during the pre-Covid era of 2019, there were 5,21,604 of total travellers, of whom 16,206 were foreigners.

The DGP on Thursday inaugurated the English language lab along with a renovated fire control room in Port Blair.

Talking about the fire control room, DGP Srivastva said, "The fire control room features cutting-edge technologies. These include a one-touch digital data retriever, electronic private automatic branch exchange and CCTV surveillance systems connected with all the 24 fire stations in the entire Island."

Additionally, the digital data retriever will help officers get contact numbers of the key installations and people in just one click, as the officers need to respond quickly in cases of emergency, he added.

The DGP further stated that this sophisticated infrastructure will also facilitate centralised monitoring of all fire stations, ensuring a swift and coordinated response to emergency situations.