Attacks Against Tourists
Down
Carlos Benavides, the
ministero de Tursimo
(Tourism minister) said
he expects the excellent
work by the "policía
turística" (tourist
police) to continue into
2009, as figures reveal
that crimes against
tourists were down 8% in
2008 over 2007.
According to the
Ministerio de Seguridad,
4.038 visitors to Costa
Rica filed "denuncias"
(complaints) for crimes
committed against them,
mainly for robbery,
theft from break ins of
vehicles and homes and
assaults.
Benavides said that,
thanks to the work of
the tourist police, 10
gangs dedicated to
committing crimes
against tourists were
broken up.
The tourism minister
added that having the
specialized police
presence in the areas of
Guanacaste, Puntarenas
and Limón (high tourist
areas) helped in
bringing down the number
of criminal acts against
tourists.
The policía turística is
a specialized unit of
the Fuerza Publica,
dispatched in tourist
areas like beaches and
national parks, to
protect visitors to
Costa Rica, which this
year passed the 2
million mark.
The specialized police
unit was created several
years ago when it was
evident that tourism was
a main source of foreign
exchange in the country,
surpassing coffee and
banana exports.
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