Rajasthan Police has trained 22 Tourism Assistance Force personnel in French to help foreign tourists communicate with the police in Jaipur and Jodhpur, as the department expands its response to language barriers faced by international visitors.
The month-long programme was launched on the directions of Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar Sharma and is being conducted by professional French instructors. The selected personnel are posted at tourist police stations, police lines and other offices under the Jaipur and Jodhpur police commissionerates.
The training is already being used in tourist-facing situations. According to police officials, after 15 days of lessons, a Tourism Assistance Force constable approached French tourists near the Albert Hall Museum in Jaipur and introduced himself in their language. He asked them about their age and travel experiences, an interaction that left the visitors pleased with the effort.
A police officer said Rajasthan is a global tourist destination and that the department wants visitors from different parts of the world to be able to seek assistance without facing communication problems. The initiative places language access within the routine functioning of tourist policing, particularly at locations where visitors may need directions or help from local authorities.
Police officials said tourists travelling in organised groups often have guides or translators available. Independent travellers, including backpackers and solo tourists, may not have the same support when they need to report an issue, ask for directions or seek police intervention. For such visitors, direct communication with trained personnel can reduce the dependence on third-party assistance.
Jaipur and Jodhpur are among Rajasthan’s major tourist destinations and receive international visitors who must navigate unfamiliar streets, public places and administrative systems. The language programme is therefore being positioned as a public-service measure as well as a tourism-support initiative. The department has indicated that more foreign-language courses are planned, although it has not specified which languages will be included or when the next programmes will begin.
Rajasthan Police is also developing a dedicated webpage and an Instagram account to provide prompt assistance to tourists and highlight its public-service initiatives. The proposed digital channels are intended to complement assistance available through tourist police stations and trained personnel.
The department’s next step is to expand language training beyond the current French programme and make tourist policing more accessible to international visitors. No further details on the number of personnel or languages covered in future courses have been announced.
