A snapshot or a trend?

I read this EOS blog with interest: burgalries-in-spain-on-the-increase

As with anything, it raises broader questions; i.e. is it a snapshot or a trend?  Is it a regional phenomenon?  Not living in Spain, I wouldn't know, and wonder what people's thoughts are?

 Chris

For over 15 years I have been a voluntary interpreter (and colaborador/assistant) with the National Police in a busy tourist town on the CDS.   Over those years, the number of crimes being reported has fallen quite significantly.  Some days in the 4 hours I am on duty, not one non-Spanish person comes in to make a crime report.  Those who do make reports,  complain in the main of being the victim of theft by pickpocket, which was often accompanied by some sort of trick, including  talking about football and then demonstrating dirty play, spraying what appeared to be bird’s mess on their shoulder then offering to help clean it off.   Offering  a flower for a few cents 'for good luck'  as a trick to get close to steal, although this MO is quite rare now..

Unlike, as stated in the blog, hardly any cases of burglary are reported in our town, so most probably the number of cases are very low.  In the countryside (campo) where properties are more isolated that may be a more common crime, although I find it hard to believe the crime is as prevalent as stated and am mystified that steps cannot be taken to improve security.  If security services / the police are failing, as the blog says, then official complaints using Hojas de Reclamación should be used.

Of course reported crime can only ever be the figure quoted as the crime level. I accept that some losers do not report loses, however, that applies in all countries, but those on holiday would tend to have travel insurance and thus I believe more likely to make a report so that they can make a claim.

Reports of crime involving any type of violence are extremely low, and month pass without anyone making such a complaint.

Domestic 'violence' (maltratado) has become the 'flavour of the day' and such allegations, even when very minor, are investigated, it appears,  more thoroughly than any other crime.

Avoid becoming the victim of a crime if you are able:  For example:   If a stranger speaks to you in the street, supermarket, bus station, etc.  or comes close enough to touch you, that is a time to be careful,  as it is often  intented to put you off guard and make you an easy victim.

PS    In my 25 years here, only twice have I been a potential victim. Once I was approached by a young man who started tailing about football. I told him I knew the trick. He said,  'It's a good trick isn’t it.?.' and walked off.  The other time was at crowded market stall with people pushing to see what produce was on offer,  when I felt a woman standing behind me trying to take my wallet from the side pocket of my trousers.

This message was last edited by johnzx on 11/07/2015.

John,

I found your comments most interesting, but they do not reflect my experience in Murcia.  Burglary is rife there.  Both of my neighbours have been broken into - on one side twice in the last 2 years and the other there was a break-in  whilst they were in occupation.  This seems to be a rarity in that most are whilst the premises are empty.

I've had several visitations from would be thieves, but they seem to have decided to go elswhere due to the protections in place - tho on the last occasion they smashed two sets of PIRs.

Perhaps you are lucky on CDS but in Murcia it's a massive problem.  Having said that the amount of violent crime seems extremely modest and there's been comment that the theft of material goods is directly connected to the unemployment situatiuon, particularly involving illegal North Africans - well that's what the local police say here.

Acer 

I qualified my post by saying what I said was based on my practical experience working with the police in ‘a busy tourist town on the CDS’  and that it may be different elsewhere, campo etc.

However, I have friends who are forever telling me how bad crime is in our town, but of course they have no actual knowledge just chit chat in bars, cafes, etc. which, whilst they believe it to be true, unlike me,  they cannot verify the numbers.

PS   It's a pity that throughout history probably without any basis, scapegoats need to found, Gypsies, North Africans, Eastern Europeans,  Muslims, Christians, Jews, blacks, foreigners, etc, when it is probably a cross section of society.

John,

I agree with most of what you say, but I was taken aback by your PS which was a bit patronising.  The comment by the police is most likely to be generally true. 

I believe so long as there is not any malicious or racist intent it is not a bad thing to state what you believe to be true.  I do not wish to follow the namby pamby political correctness that seems to be gradually asphyxiating free speech.

There is a big clampdown around here by the police on the beach sellers hawking counterfeit sunglasses shirts etc Whilst I do not necessarily agree with this it does help them to stop supplementing their income with petty theft 

scubamike

I am pleased the police are clamping down on the beach sellers

They are a nuisance, there is nothing good about how they trade and how they sell which in itself probbaly a crime or petty crime.

The real sad thing is the dopeys who buy from them .

Re Acer's comment The comment by the police is most likely to be generally true.

I worked in the same airport building as HM Customs for some years, and know from first-hand experience of working in the same arrivals halls that without targeting offenders based on known, verifiable intelligence and arrests, they wouldn't be any more successful than you or me randomly selecting someone to search.

Profiling and intelligence-led arrests are based on evidence, not bias or bigotry.

There is a considerable difference between on the one hand applying knowledge, common sense, experience etc and on the other hand bigotry.  Insurance underwriters decide their terms on a combination of the previous loss experience of the proposer, the risk details including that of the particular sector involved.  If you didn't use the background details to underwrite all companies would pay the same amount which would be barmy.

I was never involved in personal insurances but I understand that these days in motor insurance all young drivers are grouped together - a distinction between male and female drivers is not allowed.  Is it fair that a young woman has to pay the same premium as a young man, despite overwhelming evidence that she should pay less?  This is a perfect example of political correctness being given more credence than common sense - thanks to the muppets at the EU.

Why is it now wrong to be allowed to speak the truth?  To me it's absurd politics and consequently I was amused to hear that the Tory party are trying to clip the wings of the BBC.  The fact that the BBC have a recent track record of discarding some of their free thinking right wing commentators may be a factor.  I like the BBC but, IMHO replacing John Inverdale with Clare Balding for Wimbledon was another decision based on ideology rather than common sense.

Two BBC Trust chairmen admitted the BBC has a left-wing bias.  One was an ex Tory minister.  Was anything done, considering it is chartered to be unbiased?  Nope.  

In this day and age, it is verging on absurd that everyone with a TV pays what is effectively a BBC tax.  In a modern society, it would be pay-for-view.  Let's see how long they would survive in their current form if that were the case.