Safety on the way

Alertcops is a free App allowing you to contact the Guardia Civil or the National Police on your mobile device in real time in case of any alert or emergency. Your location is automatically sent and you will get a quick response to your situation. The App is available on both Google Play and App Store.

Use the App for the following: reporting an offence or a crime, alerting law enforcement forces and agencies or simply if you want to receive information updates of interest for citizens. Additionally, it has a more personal functionality allowing you to share your position with your loved ones or with rescue services. If in an emergency, you will be located faster and more accurately.

Click here to find out more about the functionalities of the Alertcops App on the Way of Saint James.

1. Keep your ID or passport at hand at all times during your pilgrimage.

2. Watch your personal belongings, electronic devices, documentation, money and valuable items and do not show them if it is not necessary. As for money, do not carry large amounts of cash and put it in different parts of your gear and usual clothes.

3. Walk in the company of other pilgrims and when possible, during daytime hours, especially in the winter months.

4. Be suspicious of strangers. Even if you have made friends during the Way, do not be too trusting, do not leave your luggage in the hands of strangers or let yourself be led to take shortcuts unless they are frequently used.

5. Plan your trip in advance, if you arrange everything at the last minute you will have a much greater risk of being deceived regarding accommodation, reservations, authorizations, distances, difficulty, places of rest, supplies or places of interest.

6. Follow the signs. Do not venture down unusual, remote or unmarked paths or shortcuts. For your safety, it is very important that you make yourself visible, so it is advisable to use reflective and/or flashy garments.

7. Inform of your whereabouts. Letting your loved ones know where you are will help in any emergency or unexpected situation. Use a GPS and keep your mobile’s battery as topped up as possible. At this point we recommend using the 'Guardian Functionality' of Alertcops, which gives your location to the police in case of emergency.

8. Keep your home safe. When you embark on an adventure like the Way of Saint James, you usually leave your house for a while. If nobody else lives there, tell your loved ones to pop by from time to time to check that everything is in order and do not post in open social media that you are traveling.