4 Jul 2014 15:59

Yakunin: Moscow tourist police to be formed by early November

MOSCOW. July 4 (Interfax) - The Moscow tourist police will be formed by November 1 and their number will be near 140, city police department chief Anatoly Yakunin said.

"Officers have been selected and trained to work in the specialized unit for the past five months. Clearly, we were not ready on July 1 but all officers patrolling tourist routes will speak English by November 1. We will try to form a full scale tourist police force by November," Yakunin told reporters on Friday.

The tourist police will have about 140 officers on its payroll by November 1, the police chief indicated. "The current number stands at 80 and it will grow to around 140, which is enough to cover eleven pedestrian zones," he said.