Bulletguy Posted December 30, 2011 Author Share Posted December 30, 2011 JamesFrance - 2011-12-29 7:11 PM As the owners of a boat in a Spanish marina, we see the present Guardia Civil every day driving round and propping up the marina bar. The three cornered hats are a thing of the past and they now seem to try hard to be friendly, although they carry out the duties of Customs Officers these days. The Mossos d'Esquadra are the regional police for Catalunya and seem to appear when the Policia Local cannot cope. One day the Guardia patrol boat brought a yacht into the marina, presumably on suspicion of drug running. The Mossos then posted a 24 hour 6 man guard on the pontoon and in the bar, which lasted for 7 days while they obtained a court order to search the yacht. The yacht was still there three years later and presumably the crew are still in clink as they never reappeared. God knows just how bad the Policia Local must be then if you say the Mossos d'Esquadra seem to appear on scene when the local Police cannot cope! Their lack of interest astounded me. Even the Officer who took me to the Station was a bit of a dope. When he left me and returned to his patrol car outside I watched as he sat rattling on his mobile with the car brake off. I had parked my van just behind his car. He went on rattling away as his car slowly slipped back toward my van until eventually the rear hit the front of my van! Didn't do any damage but I just thought what a dozy drip! *-) Brian Kirby - 2011-12-29 6:28 PM The attitudes and actions of many in authority in Spain remain questionable, one just has to accept that. It is Western Europe, but not as we know it, Henry! :-S Certainly from my experience Brian! It comes to something when I actually got far more help from two Spanish toll booth operators, both of whom spoke fluent english and I will be eternally grateful for their help, not to mention the kindness and concern they showed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I was a bit bemused reading this thread and the attitude displayed above toward the Spanish police calling them dumb! pot kettle black springs to mind.... The policeman were probably as astonished as me as to why the hell you fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book, and why you were so slack with your personal safety & security. There have been similar tales on here and other forums for years? While I feel extremely sorry for you, your naivety is a bit bewildering for anyone new to this. split your money and cards up. and hide well, thieves are surprisingly good at finding valuables, after all they dont have to look far in a van..and they are professionals better still fit a safe, use it, and still split your money and cards up never stop for anyone, personally I would rather bang into them and drive on. Or I would wave and indicate that I was pulling in, then speed of. have a phone and camera at hand, these alone have been known to scare them of. have police number on speed dial on your phone dont get out of van if hemmed in, lock doors (should be locked anyway) and I cant imagine a situation were I would get out of van and have to confront these people, God knows what could happen, stabbing..drive way in your van who knows! I hope it does not put you of motorhoming entirely....Be safe and travel but for heavens sake be vigilant.....Particularly near hot spots like Lyon and Barcelona feel free to add to list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertandjean Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 In total agreement with the Judge here; why on earth would anyone leave all their money etc in a jacket thrown in back of van? And why would anyone expect police in Spain (or France, or Italy , or.....) to speak fluent English? Yes,of course we sympathise, but again as the Judge indicates it is important to take sensible precautions and be aware of common scams; in addition having, at least, a few words of the local language is if not essential, then at the very least respectful to local people. One further point; as distressing as incidents such as this are it is important to remember that France, and even Spain (!), are not the wild west and events such as this are very rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 To the above two posters Don’t you think I’ve already gone through all the ‘benefit of hindsight’ business? I spent the four days it took me after the robbery (almost one entire day of which was spent getting money wired to me), returning back beating myself over the head with endless ‘if onlys’ etc. I became paranoid about any suspicious activities and even had the Gendarmerie out at one overnight on my return. Yes I made mistakes which I won’t ever be making again and i’m now paying for those mistakes very dearly. One of my major problems is trust. I’m more familiar with touring in ex-eastern bloc countries including some very remote areas where most of you would probably cringe at the thought of solo travel, let alone wild camping. But not ONE incident……ever. And despite a massive language barrier with folk in some areas who don’t even understand ‘yes’ or ‘no’, never a problem. I only ever found respect and decency amongst these people which was duly reciprocated. This was my first excursion into mainland Spain. If ever I go there again I’m afraid it will be with an entirely different attitude and mindset. And why would anyone expect police in Spain (or France, or Italy , or.....) to speak fluent English? Possibly due to the naive belief of Spain being a developed and civilised country and having experienced previous dealings with Police in Germany, Poland and Slovakia.....each of whom spoke English. Obviously you haven't read through all my posts otherwise you would have seen that I received more help from two Spanish Toll booth operators who spoke fluent English, than what I did from the Spanish Police who were incompetent to say the least. Yes I do expect at least one Police Officer to have some command of English.........I don't expect it from a lowly paid Toll booth operator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Tuckley Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Couldn't agree with you more, BG. The people who keep telling us what a wonderful place Barcelona is and how it is over expectant of us to think the Spanish police officers who attend an incident involving Brits may have a smattering of English between them are obviously smoking the wrong stuff. When British police attend an incident involving "Johny Foreigner" there is the facility of having an interpreter at the end of a phone. They also have all forms and leaflets available in most European languages. When we were at the consulate in Barcelona trying to procure emergency passports to come home, there was a queue of people with the same problem. One poor girl worked in the city and had two passports stolen in as many months. She was in tears and just wanted to return to UK. These incidents have been happening for a long time now and you must ask yourself why our motorways are nothing like the same. The answer is that we take care to see that they are not with CCTV, proper policing etc. Really do sympathise with the way you feel and although I have close relatives living in Mojacar, I tend to agree with the person on this forum who asked "Why should you want to holiday in a place where you have to constantly stay on your guard and keep looking over your shoulder?" The Spanish need British tourists and businesses and should be prepared to get their fingers out to sort out what are becoming major problems. That is if they have the capacity to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I went out with a girl from Barcelona about 30 years ago so spent a lot of time there....., heroin and robbery were a major concern even back then. I really cant believe that some if you can be so daft and unaware of the facts http://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/general/barcelona-car-crime-safety-tips.html Are you unaware of money belts? A good one is £10, If BG had invested in one he would be enjoying himself now ...."Spanish police are ignorant" surprise! surprise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesFrance Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I just came across this article, so the police are doing something at least. However as is usual these days the offenders have many previous convictions, so it's politicians being feeble who are responsible for this continuing. http://www.catalannewsagency.com/news/society-science/mass-arrests-highway-bandits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Right that's it. I'm taking my .410 shotgun with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 JamesFrance - 2012-01-05 8:42 PM I just came across this article, so the police are doing something at least. However as is usual these days the offenders have many previous convictions, so it's politicians being feeble who are responsible for this continuing. http://www.catalannewsagency.com/news/society-science/mass-arrests-highway-bandits That is the identical scenario to which I was set up. Not only the position of vehicles and occupants on the hard shoulder photograph, but also the following quote from the link; Once a car had been selected, the criminals would indicate to the driver to pull over, often by suggesting that something was wrong with the car or throwing a stone against the back of the vehicle to cause a commotion. Once the car stopped, one member of the band would distract the passenger and driver, engaging them outside of the vehicle whilst the other member would steal possessions from the car, or at times the car itself. Before the victim realised what was happening, both bandits would run back to the get-away vehicle and speed off. If the victim did realise what was happening, police say, the thieves were not deterred and resorted to physical violence to carry out their theft before fleeing the scene. As i've mentioned before, one of the two youths did all the talking whilst the other never said a word but stood with one hand in his pocket, something I only noticed as they returned back to their car. Identical in every detail. AP7 Autopista, Catalona region.....same road and even the same direction as I was travelling. Have to admit I found that link pretty chilling to read through as well as looking at the photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 ... should I still be contemplating going to Spain! 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Also thought some of you may be interested to read the reply received from one of my MEP's I wrote to expressing my shock at what many other posters on this board told me since I returned back home. I will leave it to each individual to draw their own judgements. [blue]Dear Mr Beckett, Thank you for your email, please note that I also respond on behalf of Malcolm Harbour MEP and Anthea Mcintyre MEP as I take responsibility for constituent correspondence to all Conservative MEP's in your area. I am sorry to hear of the difficulties which you have experienced on your recent excursion to Spain and I hope that you are now recovering and feeling better. [red]As this falls under the remit of Spanish domestic policy and is outwith the competencies of the EU I am unable to offer assistance in this matter.[/red] Thank you again for writing to me. Yours sincerely Philip Bradbourn OBE MEP Gary Ridley Parliamentary and Media Officer to Philip Bradbourn OBE MEP[/blue] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 So..........He's a waste of space then. >:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Peter Considering their huge salaries and massive expense claims, it would appear that daylight robbery isn't only confined to the scumbags trawling the Spanish Autopista's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Bulletguy - 2012-01-05 6:00 PM This was my first excursion into mainland Spain. If ever I go there again I’m afraid it will be with an entirely different attitude and mindset. We have had villa's broken into on Lanzarotte and Fuerteventura, a friend's had same on Teneriffe, so not just the mainland you need to be wary on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Mel B - 2012-01-05 9:47 PM ... should I still be contemplating going to Spain! 8-) Yes! There are 2 of you so its safer, be very aware in ques of traffic for people approaching your van (letting tyres down/stabbing tyres/small fires in wheel arches etc....) Try and fill with fuel well before, and avoid motorway fuel stops, particularly near major city's like Barcelona etc... use your central locking at all times, dont stop or get out for anyone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Your MEP has acted inappropriately. He should have passed on your complaint to the Spanish authorities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Yes Mike, but that would entail actually doing something useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 JudgeMental - 2012-01-06 5:42 AM Mel B - 2012-01-05 9:47 PM ... should I still be contemplating going to Spain! 8-) Yes! There are 2 of you so its safer......... There are at least six posters on this thread who, from their own personal experience, would not agree. Two people onboard may lessen the odds a little......but that's about all. Also we have heard from one poster who was not travelling 'solo' whose motorhome was rammed in an attempt to get him off the road. You may even experience a burst tyre which leaves you no alternative but to stop at which point you become totally vulnerable. Not stopping is easy said but it's not always an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Mel B - 2012-01-05 9:47 PM ... should I still be contemplating going to Spain! 8-) Nope! Get your suitcases out, blow the cobwebs off and have 3 months in the Caribbean. That's what the retirement dosh is for, not getting lynched/robbed/shot/stabbed/insert your own here. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 Mike88 - 2012-01-06 11:49 AM Your MEP has acted inappropriately. He should have passed on your complaint to the Spanish authorities. It did make me wonder precisely what my MEP is for and why I have six of them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 Mike88 - 2012-01-06 11:49 AM Your MEP has acted inappropriately. He should have passed on your complaint to the Spanish authorities. Not checked the protocols, but I agree with that. Wouldn't have cost him anything to pass it on to a Spanish MEP and ask if they would follow it up, either, would it? Possibly a Euro-destructive Conservative MEP? Very negative attitude. I asked our MEP if she could give any information on gas attacks a few years back, and got a reply from a senior officer at Interpol. It can be done. However, on a different note, don't all get your knickers in a twist over Spain! :-) Haven't been to Barca since Franco's days, but we toured around Spain in 2005, and again in 2009. We used the Ap7 round Barca on our way out in 2005 and, apart from being a bit loony and accident prone (the loony bit was a surprise, as drivers in the rest of Spain had generally been cautious and courteous), experienced no anxieties at all. We visited quite a lot of Spain between those two trips, north to south, east to west, and had no particular anxieties. We generally used campsites and took public transport into town, but also parked in several towns to go sightseeing, and there was not the slightest suggestion of anything wrong. There are dodgy bits of everywhere (try the area around Via dei Tribunali in Naples, where the Camorra hang out, if you want that extra frisson of excitement! :-)), but Spain isn't all bandit country, even if some small parts of it are. Most is just quiet (sometimes! :-)), orderly, polite, reserved, honest people doing what people everywhere do. I'd not describe them as immediately friendly people on first acquaintance (I think their history explains that), but they certainly aren't all out to rob you. Just relax and go, but be on your guard as you would anywhere you don't know, because the danger signs aren't the same in different cultures. Just watch other people, and what they are doing. If you see women holding their handbags close and tight, it may be because there is a local reputation for bag snatching etc - but it my just be because they are paranoid as well! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donna miller Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 LordThornber - 2012-01-06 5:14 PM Mel B - 2012-01-05 9:47 PM ... should I still be contemplating going to Spain! 8-) Nope! Get your suitcases out, blow the cobwebs off and have 3 months in the Caribbean. That's what the retirement dosh is for, not getting lynched/robbed/shot/stabbed/insert your own here. Martyn Unfortunately, you've got far more chance of being robbed/shot/stabbed and murdered in the Caribbean than you have in Spain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted January 6, 2012 Author Share Posted January 6, 2012 Brian Kirby - 2012-01-06 5:34 PM Mike88 - 2012-01-06 11:49 AM Your MEP has acted inappropriately. He should have passed on your complaint to the Spanish authorities. Not checked the protocols, but I agree with that. Wouldn't have cost him anything to pass it on to a Spanish MEP and ask if they would follow it up, either, would it? Possibly a Euro-destructive Conservative MEP? Very negative attitude. Brian You have a PM on this matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 LordThornber - 2012-01-06 5:14 PM Mel B - 2012-01-05 9:47 PM ... should I still be contemplating going to Spain! 8-) Nope! Get your suitcases out, blow the cobwebs off and have 3 months in the Caribbean. That's what the retirement dosh is for, not getting lynched/robbed/shot/stabbed/insert your own here. Martyn South East Asia a better/safer bet....... And a hell of a lot cheaper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted January 6, 2012 Share Posted January 6, 2012 OK, go where you like that you think is safer, but sod the van on a retirement blow out holiday, (if that's what it is Mel). Go on a world cruise, is that safe enough for you guys? Good, cruise it is then :D Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.