National Police - Policia Nacional to stamp credentials

[t2andreo]

This was in El Correo Gallego this morning (in Spanish):

Habilitado el sellado de la credencial peregrina en comisarías de la Policía Nacional

El despliegue anunciado por la Policía Nacional para proteger el Camino de Santiago comienza hoy con la puesta en marcha del dispositivo Protegemos el...

www.elcorreogallego.es

And also appeared in La Voz de Galicia - Santiago:

La Policía desplegará 3.600 agentes en el Camino de Santiago y pondrá un enlace con peregrinos en todas las comisarías

La página web del cuerpo promocionará la ruta y todas las dependencias serán centros oficiales de sellado de credenciales

www.lavozdegalicia.es

Long story short, the Policia Nacional will stamp your credential at its stations along the various Caminos. This might be a good way to help the police keep the Caminos safe.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[peregrina2000]

Thanks for posting this. In addition to the news that you can now get your credenciales stamped in National Police stations (I wonder how many pilgrims will go into municipal police stations, or guardia civil stations looking for stamps now!), there is also good news about security measures.

— In every national police station along the Camino (assuming this means only Camino Francés, but it doesn’t say), there will be one officer dedicated to safety on the camino.

— their web page will be updated to include safety information

— a total of 3600 national police officers will be involved with this initiative to focus on safety on the camino.

In light of the recent posting about an incident near Avilés, this is welcome news.

The Guardia Civil has already increased its vigilance. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has had officers in cars or on horses stop to see how I’m doing. I hope the Guardia and the National Police can collaborate without friction, because I know that in some of the investigations of crime on the camino, the two really have a lot of turf battles. Maybe at the level of actual service provision, there will be less friction.

 

[henrythedog]

This was in El Correo Gallego this morning (in Spanish):

Habilitado el sellado de la credencial peregrina en comisarías de la Policía Nacional

El despliegue anunciado por la Policía Nacional para proteger el Camino de Santiago comienza hoy con la puesta en marcha del dispositivo Protegemos el...

www.elcorreogallego.es

And also appeared in La Voz de Galicia - Santiago:

La Policía desplegará 3.600 agentes en el Camino de Santiago y pondrá un enlace con peregrinos en todas las comisarías

La página web del cuerpo promocionará la ruta y todas las dependencias serán centros oficiales de sellado de credenciales

www.lavozdegalicia.es

Long story short, the Policia Nacional will stamp your credential at its stations along the various Caminos. This might be a good way to hep the police keep the Caminos safe.

Hope this helps.

Tom

Many of them already did, if you asked nicely. Nevertheless, that’s good.

 

[SabsP]

Did that already several times. On the Ingles and on the Ebro. Also got stamps from post offices, libraries and even pharmacies.

 

[LTfit]

...and at a gas station in Sant Cugat when walking from Barcelona to Monserrat. Not one cafe or restaurant in the town had a stamp! The woman looked at me pretty weird but she stamped my credential!

 

[oursonpolaire]

...and at a gas station in Sant Cugat when walking from Barcelona to Monserrat. Not one cafe or restaurant in the town had a stamp! The woman looked at me pretty weird but she stamped my credential!

I have had several Guardia puestes stamp my credencial on this route, as well as on the Castellano Aragones-- local police were also happy to stamp away (in a very dusty pueblo in the middle of Aragon, the Guardia made me fresh orange juice to keep me going-- Georgia and Florida state police take notice!). Churches were only sporadically open although you would have more luck in the larger cities.

There is some recent history about police presence on the Camino. Local forces were fairly blasé about their responsibility until the tragic death of Denise Thiem in (IIRC) 2014, when foreign pressure (the late Senator John McCain) focussed their attention. At the 2015 International Meeting of Camino Associations in Santiago, several associations made their concerns quite clear to the Spanish authorities-- the topic had not been on their agenda if my memory serves me well. The Canadian Company of Pilgrims, supported by the Association Québécoise, APOC, the Confraternity of Saint James, and the Korean national association, presented a memorial to the Spanish authorities proposing regular patrols and including women constables, to strengthen pilgrims' sense of safety.

While this may not have been the cause, the national and autonomous community governments and their police forces met within a relatively short while to form a security plan for the Camino, and the memorial formed part of their briefings. Since then, pilgrims have seen a much more visible presence on the trail, and the Guardia have recovered their customary role (apparently it's in their 1820s founding documents) of keeping an eye out for pilgrims. That the women Guardias seem to be very goodlooking is a superficial and immature consideration, and more spiritually inclined pilgrims will overlook this observation.

My credenciales with their sellos, including those of the police, are a great momento.

 

[RJM]

That the women Guardias seem to be very goodlooking is a superficial and immature consideration, and more spiritually inclined pilgrims will overlook this observation.

?
What does that mean?

 

[Barbara]

?
What does that mean?

It means oursonpolaire has a sense of humour

 

[jsalt]

2017

 

[Albertagirl]

That the women Guardias seem to be very goodlooking is a superficial and immature consideration, and more spiritually inclined pilgrims will overlook this observation.

I walked my first Camino Frances in the fall of 2015, shortly after the body of Denise Thiem was found. On the route out of Astorga, three police cars passed me on the road parallel to the camino route. I was alone and moving slowly on a rough patch of trail at one point in the afternoon when one of the cars stopped near me. A woman police officer got out and asked me if I was okay. She was middle-aged and ordinary looking. I was grateful for her interest and replied that I was fine. I observe that young and attractive persons are used for promoting all careers, but this woman, and the police cars passing by, certainly reassured me, fulfilling part of their purpose as police officers. I am sure that they do their best to protect even "superficial and immature" pilgrims.

 

[Former member 31048]

Thanks for posting this. In addition to the news that you can now get your credenciales stamped in National Police stations (I wonder how many pilgrims will go into municipal police stations, or guardia civil stations looking for stamps now!), there is also good news about security measures.

— In every national police station along the Camino (assuming this means only Camino Francés, but it doesn’t say), there will be one officer dedicated to safety on the camino.

— their web page will be updated to include safety information

— a total of 3600 national police officers will be involved with this initiative to focus on safety on the camino.

In light of the recent posting about an incident near Avilés, this is welcome news.

The Guardia Civil has already increased its vigilance. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has had officers in cars or on horses stop to see how I’m doing. I hope the Guardia and the National Police can collaborate without friction, because I know that in some of the investigations of crime on the camino, the two really have a lot of turf battles. Maybe at the level of actual service provision, there will be less friction.

When we were walking the Mozarabe in 2015, we were surprised when the Guardia Civil pulled up beside us one day while we were walking a particularly long and hot stage. They were very kind, just checking in that we were doing well and had enough water - they were carrying a supply of water in the car. Another fond memory of the magical Mozarabe.

 

[peregrina2000]

I’m surprised to see this picture, @jsalt. After a long chat with the Guardia somewhere before Baños de Montemayor, the Guardia told me they very much like pilgrims to publicize the police presence on the camino, but that any picture I took could not reveal their faces for security reasons.

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

I can see where this could be a move to help Police become more proficient in various languages so they are able to communicate in los idiomas de las peregrinos.

 

[RJM]

Between Pedrouzo and Santiago, 2014

 

[RJM]

It means oursonpolaire has a sense of humour

Gotcha

 

[mspath]

Here is an account re the French police and me, ie an old lady, in 2008.

 

[SkyDancer]

2017
View attachment 104988

Far out helmets!

 

[t2andreo]

There is a significant deterrent effect, if the locals understand that the police ARE out there and you can never be certain that they are not nearby. This, together with every pilgrim knowing they can call the 112 emergency number and asking "Me ayuda en Ingles por favor?" Can you help me in English please, will do the trick.

The police can usually triangulate your location using your cellular signal if you have no idea where you are. But knowing where you are at all times seems like common sense to me. Even if you can only say that you are about x km west of (place) on the senda (trail or road), being able to provide more information will result in a faster response.

Remember - If you see something - say something.

I hope this helps.

Tom

 

[jsalt]

I’m surprised to see this picture, @jsalt.

I think these guys liked having their picture taken.



You can see we are at David’s cantina near Astorga.

A couple of years later I stopped at the cantina for half an hour or more.

While there a police car came by, and they chatted with the Italian guy currently in residence.

When they left he told me they often stop by and check he’s OK.

It works both ways. They check he’s OK, and he tells them of any “weirdos” he’s had problems with.