Safety advice for tourists

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) have released a mobile phone application that helps tourists stay safe when visiting the Central American country.

The app, called “OIJ CR Safe” has resources in English and in Spanish for nationals and visitors to access while they travel through Costa Rica. Large sections of the application work offline, meaning an internet connection is not required for much of the functionality.

Upon first launching the application, users can choose their preferred language (Spanish or English) and their nationality (Resident or Tourist).

The “Tourist” menu includes shortcuts to emergency and non-emergency phone numbers, a phone book for OIJ locales, basic safety tips, and links to OIJ’s official social media channels.

Options for Costa Rican nationals include a write-in service to help debunk hoaxes, a more comprehensive set of safety tips, a link to OIJ’s most-wanted suspects, and an OIJ recruitment handbook.

For all users, the OIJ CR App also includes a tip line to report crimes and a map of Judicial Investigation Police offices across the country.