Crime in Spain
It is a regretful sleight on humanity that there are always some bad apples in the barrel. They have been around for thousands of years and used to be called bandits, highwaymen, footpads or pirates. Nowadays its handbag snatchers, muggers, football hooligans or yardies or is it footies? Anyway the result is the same they want to remove our valuables from politely to violently.
Do not expect Spain to be any different from major cities in the UK. The scale might be substantially smaller in major crime but petty crime abounds especially against foreigners.
There are a lot of foreigners living in Spain from all over the world including a few organised gangs particularly for drugs and illegal immigrants that the Guardia Civil are slowly getting better at detecting. Newly installed coastal Radar equipment, military and naval forces are all combining to protect Spanish shores against these groups.
It is these foreigners plus local substance abusers who commit most crimes in Spain but to minimise wrath from the natives they pick on foreigners, particularly elderly and more vulnerable holiday makers who are easy targets. This group seem to prefer to carry all their valuables around in easily stealable containers, like handbags.
The simplest way of hanging on to your goodies is to use the safe in your Hotel. Or when organising your holiday insist that your accommodation includes a safe place for your valuables. Keep your passport, excess cash, travelers checks, unworn jewellery and flight tickets there and just go out with minimum cash and one credit card between you. You can always get more cash out from the hole in the wall when you need it. Ladies should not carry handbags or drape them over the shoulder, they are like magnets to these bad apples. Carry what is actually crucial in a pocket or in a slim dangle bag underneath your blouse where it is out of sight. If you appear at a quick glance not to be carrying anything then you will be left alone.
Watch out for street traders approaching you as often they are a distraction for the rest of the gang. They might ask for directions and as you turn away from your shopping to point, their accomplice will grab your shopping or the purse out of your bag.
If you are in the supermarket car park watch out for two things. Firstly if someone accidentally brushes against you and as a result you accidentally drop something, another member of the gang will, as you bend down to pick up your dropped things, remove whatever shopping you have already loaded into your car. So, do not bend down, firstly close all doors and lock the car, check that your wallet or bag is safe and then pick up your things. Sometimes when you have left your car in the supermarket car park when you get back you find that you have a puncture. Actually in most cases a gang has put a knife through your tyre and while you're replacing the wheel they will remove your shopping, so lock your car while replacing the wheel. An alternative to this is letting a bit of air out of the tyre so you don't immediately notice it and then they will later follow you and flag you down on the main road pointing at your tyre. Naturally you stop to replace it, they even offer to help while the other gang member nicks your shopping.
Moped drivers have often been known to drag a bag off a shoulder often knocking the person down. Mostly the cash is taken out of the bag and the bag immediately dumped, so chase after them to see where they go. You can often find your bag just round the corner. Report this to the local police straight away, many times the bag, less the cash, is handed in the next day. So if you hear a moped coming up behind you turn and face it, they will back off as they want to keep their face hidden. Try and get the number, often they deliberately make it dirty and unreadable or take it off all together. Look for distinct visible identification marks, like advertising stickers, go faster stripes, colour, colour of jacket, colour of skin or hair or crash hat. Anything to help the police with some form of clue.
Coastal Towns are normally safe places at night time. But there is an increasing number of nocturnal muggings mainly for cash. The incidences of actual violence are very few but the threat of it is there to make you voluntarily hand over your cash. The best solution to this depending on your age is to throw a handful of coins and a couple of notes at them and leg it, they will be too busy scrabbling for it to do much more. Also scream your head off if you are near other people. If however you are alone in an isolated place hand it over and getaway as quickly as possible. Life is more important.
Crime against Property
Most coastal towns contain holiday apartments and urbanisations that have some form of controlled entrance. Break ins to these properties are very rare. Where most break ins occur are on the edges of town near a main road for a quick getaway. Larger properties and isolated country cottages are particularly vulnerable and even dogs and burglar alarm systems won't deter the professional thief. So if you must keep valuables, buy a strong safe and install as many deterrents as possible. A locked outer gate, a high wall, security systems, bright lights that come on automatically when approached. Metal grills and roller shutters to all windows and patio doors. An armoured door will stop most thieves as they have to make a lot of noise to open it.
Make sure your cleaning staff and gardening staff have impeccable references or come recommended from people you trust.
Beware the man that knocks on the door pretending to be the telephone repair man, the gas man coming to inspect your gas installation or any service man. Unless they have been requested these people do not make house calls. Check their ID and make a note of the name and NIF/NIE number, every person in Spain should have one.
Cars
Cars are very popular among thieves. Not just the expensive models, even an old Peugeot is popular. Organised gangs steal them, change the plates to Moroccan or French, put a roof rack on the top full of old bicycles and mopeds, also stolen, and head off for Tangiers.
The latest scam is to buy top end of the range models in Germany, wind back the clock and sell them reregistered in Spain as a nearly new car. Many outdoor car lots play this game. Check the car's paperwork with your Gestor before you buy anything or take him with you to the dealer. Car owners are responsible for what ever happens to their car. So for example if you sold it through a car lot and it has not been re registered into the name of the new owner, any parking tickets will keep on coming to you.If the car is in a crash and kills someone you can be held responsible. So never buy or sell a car without making sure it is all legal registered correctly.
When filling your car with petrol always take the keys out and hold them. When going to pay take the keys with you and lock the car. Cars even with children in them have been known to be driven off at high speed.
When in traffic with the windows open to keep cool, make sure any valuables are not within reach of passing mopeds especially in traffic jams in the major cities. Especially when you are approached by windscreen cleaners from one side watch out on the other.
Real Estate
There are no required qualifications for persons selling property nowadays in Spain. There are an enormous number of estate agents, with no regulatory body to oversee them. There are even more individuals than estate agents purporting to know someone who is selling a property. It can often, out of ignorance of the proper process by agent and buyer, land a buyer in a mess. Most purchases go through without any problems. But where most problems arise are off the beaten track. There are strict planning laws in Spain. To avoid any misunderstandings or misrepresentation of the facts when buying a plot of land or an old ruin, pay no money to any one until your Gestor or Abogado ( Accountant with legal training or Lawyer) has checked it out. Collect any plans or papers and show them to your lawyer. See more about this in Buying a Property.