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SAFETY AND THE POLICE |
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Costa Rica is generally considered a very safe country, and what
crime does exist tends to be opportunistic rather than violent. The main
thing travellers have to worry about is pickpocketing, and if you take a
few common-sense precautions you should get by unscathed.
In downtown San José you need to be wary at all times. Wear a money belt,
and never carry anything of value - money, tickets or passport - in an
outside pocket. It has also been known for luggage to be stolen while
you are distracted or while it is being kept supposedly secure in a left-luggage
facility. Never hand your baggage to strangers, except the airport
porters, who have official identification. If storing your bags in a
hotel or guesthouse while you are travelling around the country, make
sure it's locked, has your name prominently written on it, and that you
have left instructions for it not to be removed by anyone but yourself,
under any circumstances. Car theft - both of cars and things inside them
- also occurs. You should not leave anything of value in a parked car -
even locked in the trunk - anywhere in Costa Rica, day or night.
In addition, keep copies of your passport, your air ticket and your
travellers' cheques, plus your insurance policy at home; and, if
possible, keep extra copies in your hotel. In Costa Rica you have to
carry ID on you at all times - for foreigners this means carrying your
passport . A photocopy of your passport - of the information-bearing
pages and the page with your Costa Rican entry stamp - will do (the
police understand tourists' reluctance to go about with their passports
all the time), but if you are stopped and asked for ID, make sure you
can produce the real thing - by going to your hotel, for example - in
case the police demand to see it.
Emergency Numbers
All emergencies tel 911 Police tel 117 Fire tel 118 Traffic police tel
222-9330 or 222-9245
All emergencies tel 911
Police tel 117
Fire tel 118
Traffic police tel 222-9330 or 222-9245
Reporting a crime
In the past year or so the police ( guardia ) presence in San José has
increased dramatically. If you have anything stolen you will need to
report it immediately to the nearest police post. In San José, the most
convenient method is...
In the past year or so the police ( guardia ) presence in San José has
increased dramatically. If you have anything stolen you will need to
report it immediately to the nearest police post. In San José, the most
convenient method is to head for the Organismo de Investigación Judicial
(tel 221-5337 or 221-1365) between Av 6 and 8 and C 15 and 19. In rural
areas, go to the nearest guardia rural who will give you a report (you'll
do better if you speak Spanish, or are with someone who does).
Any tourist-related crime , such as overcharging, can be addressed to
the ICT in San José.
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