Figueres is overall, a very safe town. Violent crime is extremely rare and most issues resolve around petty theft when they happen. As is the case in many places, beware of crowded areas and events as pickpockets can frequent these venues.
In the summer, it can get quite hot as is typical with coastal Catalonia. Make sure to drink plenty of water and cover your head if sensitive to heavy direct sunlight.
In the winter, it can be quite cold at times. While snow is exceptionally rare in Figueres proper, driving on the E-15 or the AP-7 north to France could very well require chains or snow tires near La Jonquera at certain times due to the pass often receiving a decent amount of snow. Likewise, driving west from Figueres, the mountain roads climb in elevation quite rapidly and snow is common, so plan car trips accordingly.
talk
As Figueres is in Catalonia and Catalonia is an independent, yet integral part of Spain, everybody in Figueres can speak Spanish, albeit to varying degrees. Despite the fact that Catalan was banned from being spoken under the Franco regime and Spanish was the only language, the older generation above 60, when speaking Spanish, will often speak a form of "Spatalan", which is mostly Spanish but with a lot of Catalan tossed in which can be difficult to understand at times for foreigners. And keep in mind that Catalan is as separate a language from Spanish as French and Italian are. It is not a Spanish dialect.
For those wishing to make the effort to speak some Catalan, keep in mind that they speak Northern Catalan, which has a strong influence of French through the interchange with French and Catalan speakers across the border in France. Such dishes as 'pa amb tomaquet' bread with tomato become 'pa amb tomate' with a soft 'uh' sound at the end. There are many more examples and one of the most difficult is when they say words that end with 'o' and say it with a long 'u' sound. If you make the effort to say neighboring town names in Catalan, make sure you understand the pronunciation and if you say Barcelona pronouncing the Castillian 'th' sound for the 'c', people will assume that you are speaking Spanish.
The generation under 35 will generally speak some if not a good deal of English as well as French. Some people here and there may speak a little Italian and oddly enough, there is a large Russian community in Figueres who naturally can speak Russian. But these are all the language regularly spoken. Those who speak only Germanic languages will have a difficult time communicating.