Crime in Spain

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    • #54989
      rt21
      Participant

      I was quite surprised to read an article this morning on the web site”Typically Spanish” in which a British Insurance company, which specialises in the travel insurance for the over 50’s, 50plus Insurance, has warned about the risk of travelling to Spain. The company is telling potential travellers of the increased risk of violent robbery and theft, a result of the large increase in unemployment. The statement notes that the number of robberies per inhabitant in Spain is 1,123.19 for every 100,000 residents, compared to just 183.83 in Britain.

      Must confess I have always felt safe in Spain although an article in a recent Expatica circular was warning of a plague of pickpockets in Barcelona and an increase in violent robberies in that city

      Hope this is not a continuing trend

      Richard

    • #92103
      katy
      Blocked

      Barcelona has always had a bad reputation for tourist crime. I have heard of many in Banus too. Golf courses around here have been taking a lot of hits recently.
      Local newspapers do seem to report more incidents than before. They do say that a lot of tourist crime goes unreported although I was once in the consulate here and it was full of people who had lost everything, passports etc.

      On a personal level I feel safe where I live, more so than the UK. perhaps it’s just my perception.

      Just saw this, Calahonda has it’s fair share of incidents
      http://www.surinenglish.com/20090512/news/costasol-malaga/year-dies-after-having-200905121127.html

    • #92106
      Inez
      Participant

      Wow, that article is a bit brutal! There has always been crime, most of it petty and years ago in the boom, tourists were heavily targetted who were staying at newly completed complexes – usually they didnt lock their front doors or left valuables around.

      I havent personally felt any worries, even when in Banus, but thats a rare occasion for me anyway!!! 😆

    • #92112
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Hi

      On our last trip (March) my wife who was carrying our 5 year old and our 7 year old were robbed at knife point while walking on the beach. Cloudy late in the afternoon (17.30) the beach was not very busy. Needless to say very distressing for all. The rest of the story however was very comforting from the point of swift justice. My wife of course reported this to the local police within 10 minutes of the crime taking place. Two policemen were seen going down the beach on scramble bikes within minutes. On arriving back at our apartment local police arrived with news that the three boys had been caught, insisting that we went to the police station to report the crime officially, which we did via an English interpreter.

      Our children went to bed happy in the knowledge that if you do something bad like rob someone you get caught and put “in gail”

      Latter that night (00.30) we had a call from the police asking if we could be in Malaga’s City of Justice by 10.00am the next morning to appear at what i would guess to be their arraignment. Which we did, there was an English interpreter waiting for us and they where formally dealt with in court in front of a judge.

      We got all of our property back from the prosecutor and was told they would be punished severely (I think the local police had already started the punishment the night before.)

      We put it down to bad luck and carelessness on our part. We discussed having money in the car park (for a drink etc) prior to me leaving my wife and the children for a walk, and now recall seeing these guys in the same car park. My wife says she was uncomfortable with their behaviour prior to the event and should have turned round. But we where in Spain and of course that sort of thing can’t happen when your aboard can it, we are English after all?

      The main point though is that we are OK, and i have recounted the story to our local police here in the UK who quite frankly are flabagasted by the speed the Spanish Police and the Legal system reacted.

      Regards

      Paul

    • #92117
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Two incidents.

      In the late 70’s, I was buying a place in Moriara, due to banks slowness etc . I took the purchase price of £15,000 in cash with me. This cash I conveniently left in the Taxi. Later when I realised the Hotel phoned up the airport police & to my astonishment the cash along with credit cards etc was handed over to the Police. As I had no money with me the Police sent the cash by taxi to my Hotel. When I tell this story to my Spanish friends they dont believe it.

      Father of a friend of mine from Barcelona (married to an English Police officer) was entering the lift of his block. He was held up at knifepoint and was asked for his money. He handed over the contents of his pocket. The mugger/thief just took two thousand paseta note & returned the rest saying he did not need the rest ( My friends husband does not believe the incidence even today )

      Yes, crime can take place anywhere my aunt had been robbed thrice at the Niagara falls and twice in Paris. The fact is that once you are on holidays you are vulnerable.

    • #92118
      Anonymous
      Participant

      P800aul

      glad your story had a happy ending, awful as it must been at the time. Great to hear fast action and justice anywhere!

      if the property industry was policed in the same way, (without brown envelopes!!) I daresay Spains reputation would be a thousand times better!!

    • #92119
      katy
      Blocked

      A 25 year old was found dead (throat cut) in Calahonda yesterday A few days ago a British man was stabbed in Estepona.

      Some years ago our previous house shared a quiet lane in marbella with just one other house. The house had been deserted for years, owned by a Kuwati whos never came back after the Gulf war! Outside the gate was overgrown by weeds, my Husband said the weeds were trampled and he had a feeling someone was living there. I called the police and explained that I wasn’t certain, within minutes 3 Police cars screamed up like a USA film. There was a couple squatting, Gypsy types who came from Cadiz to pick the pine cones. he woman they threw her on to the floor and her belongings on top of her…I was quite upset, almost wished I hadn’t bothered. This was in the time of Mayor Gil and he was tough on Policing. They do say now the Police on the CDS will not attend break-ins on holiday complexes as there are so many. Marbella does regular Police patrols during the night.

    • #92120
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Jesus Gill, with all his sins, was not a person who would tolerate nonsense e.g the slowness of the Council the lack of cooperation between the Junta etc.

      His vision brought Marbella out of the mire that it was before he became the Mayor. I am no fan of his but credit where due.

    • #92121
      Anonymous
      Participant

      katy

      that’s it then, i’m going to phone the Spanish police, and tell them i’ve been robbed by a low-life agent and deveoper, both far worse than those gypsy’s, then wait for them to go screaming round to their office, and throw them on the floor, then sieze their assets so they can pay me back.

      Tut, tut, why ever didn’t I think of this before?!?

    • #92172
      Anonymous
      Participant

      In Mazarron I have been robbed 3 times.

      I have a fully alarmed villa, although its not a lot of use when my neighbours just turn up the TV to drown out the noise. I have no telephone, so the alarm does not ring out.

      I have been to the Guardia Civil and they treated me, and my interpreter with utter contemp and were not interested. My spanish is passable, but I found that unless you could speak perfect spanish, that the police were even less interested.

      I asked more questions and was eventually told that if I catch a robber on my premises I could take whatever action I wanted against him/them.

      My new deterent is 12 gauge shot gun and a .22 pistol, both of which my wife and I can use very profficiently.

      Crime is here to stay in Spain, especially via the now unemployed Morrocan contingent, and the lazy police who cant drag themselves out of the local bars and cafes to do anything.

    • #92177
      Anonymous
      Participant

      What a shame that all the crimes are committed by Moroccans in Spain. I wondered whose stole & rob before the Moroccan labour was imported into Spain.

    • #92178
      katy
      Blocked

      Exactly, don’t forget the Romanians too. 🙄 Aside from a few drug incidents the Moroccans appear to be peaceful law abiding people.

    • #92180
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Well unfortunately the problem, and the source of the problem changes from area to area.

      Where I am 90% of the building labour force was Morrocan, 100% of them are out of work, and 90% of the people caught by the police, when the police get off their backsides, are…. Morrocan.

      Of course there are others that get caught as well, thats the other 10%. However in this area, because of the ease of getting here by boat from Morroco, which is a relative stones throw away, its just a fact of life.

    • #92181
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Two years ago I visited Ecuador and that is a real unsecure place to be! Dont worry about Spain you will be safe unless you show a 500 euros note in your pocket.

      Politians and developers can steal you but not hurt you so dont worry about unsecurity in Spain!

    • #92182
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Peterparra, What planet are you on…..

      People have handbags stolen, not for €500, but for a few €’s.

      No-one carries a €500 note, as shops will not take one. I had my villa broken into the last time, I lost 1 mobile phone, some jewelry, one handbag (and contents – but not a €500 note), and believe it or not, a 5 ltr container of Olive Oil that I had bought that morning.

    • #92186
      Anonymous
      Participant

      Perhaps I have been very lucky in my life. I have never been stolen or threatened. The only times when I felt a bit unsafe was in the Madrid subway in some hours of the night.

      Also being a bit careful and not naive is a good advice. Of course I will never lose my sight from my belongs whatever the place I would be not matter how safe I feel.

      Perhaps also burglars then to hit tourists.

    • #92188
      Anonymous
      Participant

      The problem is that you can not stay in your home all day, and every day, and look after your property.

      The incidence of house burglaries in the Mazarron region are far greater than I have ever see when I was living in the UK. True you have to be careful, but tourists or residents are victims, lack of effective police, a very poor working telephone system, poor street lighting and too many illegals contribute to this problem.

      It would be a great comfort if we knew that the police were active against these criminals, but we know that the police, especially in my area, are lazy and disinterested in their work. They are more interested in where they can scam a free meal and drink, before they find a quiet place to sleep the day away.

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