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![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Photo via Ministry of Public Security.
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Published on
Wednesday, April 9, 2025.
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
As Holy Week draws
near, Costa Rican authorities have
launched a national surveillance and
safety operation to manage the expected
surge in tourism, the Ministry of Public
Security announced.
This year, Holy Week runs from April 13 to 20, when many residents
travel to beaches, rural towns, and
tourist destinations across the
country. Officials expect
the holiday to bring an economic boost,
particularly to rural and coastal
regions.
To ensure public
safety, security agencies
will ramp up patrols by land, air, and
sea. More than 7,000
officers will be deployed, including
over 200 traffic police officers.
Participating
organizations include the National
Police, Red Cross, Firefighters, Traffic
Police, Judicial Investigation
Organization, Park Rangers, Migration
Police, National Emergency Commission,
Fiscal Control Police, Prison Police,
Drug Control Police, Coast Guard, and
Air Surveillance Police.
The operation will
focus on popular tourist areas such as
volcanoes, beaches, rivers, camping
zones, shopping malls, airports, and
border crossings. High-traffic
locations on the Pacific and Caribbean
coasts, as well as in the
countryside, are among the key
areas receiving increased patrols.
On the Pacific
side, areas under surveillance include
Quepos, Manuel Antonio, Jacó, and
Herradura in Puntarenas Province;
Tamarindo, Flamingo, and Nosara in
Guanacaste Province; and La Fortuna and
San Carlos in Alajuela Province.
On the Caribbean coast, police will cover beaches in Limón Province, including Puerto Viejo, Manzanillo, and Cocles. Southern San José Province destinations like Pérez Zeledón will also be patrolled.
“We
are increasing our presence in these
locations with more officers while
continuing round-the-clock coverage
across the rest of the country,”
officials said. Increased
tourism often leads to a rise in
traffic violations and accidents,
authorities noted.
Drunk driving, speeding, and other
risky behaviors are of particular
concern. To
mitigate road risks,
surveillance will be
heightened
on principal routes connecting San
José to coastal regions.
These include Route 32 (San José –
Limón), the northern Inter-American
Highway (San José – Guanacaste), and
Route 27 (San José – Puntarenas). Officers
will monitor busy areas such as
highways, bus terminals, tourist
hotspots, and commercial centers. They
will be on the lookout for violations
such as driving under the influence,
excessive speeding, reckless
overtaking, illegal U-turns, driving
on sidewalks, operating vehicles
without a valid license, and
transporting children without proper
safety equipment among
others. In 2024, police
have identified over 1,700 cases of
drunk driving, according to Traffic
Police. Authorities
are urging the public to follow
traffic laws and drive responsibly.
Citizens can report reckless driving
or other safety concerns by dialing
the national emergency number, 9-1-1. The
Ministry of Public Security (MSP) is
the government agency responsible for
maintaining public order, ensuring
citizen security, forming police
units, and coordinating anti-crime
initiatives.
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