The role of the tourism police in protecting Archaeological sites A case study on the tourism police apparatus and antiquities protection in Libya

Abstract

The study aims to identify the role of the Tourism Police in protecting archaeological sites in Libya by examining the security measures implemented by the Tourism Police to safeguard these sites and by addressing the difficulties faced by the Tourism Police while performing their duties. The study adopted the descriptive methodology and utilized a questionnaire as a tool for data collection. The questionnaire consisted of two main dimensions, each containing a set of statements. It was distributed to a purposive sample of (90) participants, of which (76) valid questionnaires were retrieved for analysis. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was employed to conduct the necessary statistical analyses. The study concluded with a set of findings, the most important of which are as follows, the Tourism Police play a positive role in protecting archaeological sites in Libya. It was found that the mean response value for the total dimension was (3.6) according to the five-point Likert scale, and the protecting and preserving antiquities is not the responsibility of the Tourism Police Apparatus and Antiquities Protection in Libya alone, but rather a shared collective responsibility involving everyone, including citizens, the Department of Antiquities, and the Ministry of Tourism, However, the Tourism Police face several difficulties that hinder their work in the field of antiquities protection, the most significant of which are:

a-The weakness of the penal provisions in the Libyan Antiquities Law No. (3) of 1994.

b-The lack of cooperation from local security agencies regarding coordination with the Tourism Police to achieve joint efforts in protecting archaeological sites.

c-Security risks associated with theft, vandalism, wars, terrorism, and illegal excavations for movable antiquities within archaeological sites.