crime - Burglary

[MairiCladach]

Like so many others I must apologise to Steve for my doubts, our reaction cannot have been helpful. Thank you for alerting us to the potential dangers, it's easy to relax TOO much in the Port. We're staying in what I hope is a very secure hotel but I'll still take extra care, especially when out and about in the market and other busy settings.

 

[tanpug2]

I think as so many have said its about being as careful as you would at home - I guess I am as guilty as anyone for thinking PP would never attract this kind of thing!
Just for clarity - I cannot prove anyone was after either of my boys - there was just a lot of weird inexplicable things that worried us that could be the case (stealing the car seats, photoing the kids etc).
What I can say - is that Majorca as a destination is statistically safer than many many other holiday hotspots which is re-assurring. Europe as a whole is suffering due to the unemployment issues far worse than the UK and as someone esle mentioned the influx of gangs from outside Spain.

 

[eleanor]

So please do not worry about your children but take the same precautions that you would with them anywhere.

As for security, I can only repeat:

Don't bring expensive jewelry or unnecessary credit cards with you
Have minimum cash in your wallet
Hold onto your bags in the Market
Lock away valuables & electronic items in a safe (& ask your accommodation provider if there is one)
Lock windows, balcony doors - do not rely on shutters
Lock internal doors if there are keys
Hide/lock away Car Keys
& do all this 'locking away' at night as well as when you go out.

This is all standard stuff but some of us forget when we are relaxed & happy in the sun!

I totally agree with Pollensa but just a couple of points I would like to make without adding to the worry people are feeling. The first is to remind everyone of Madelaine McCann. There are seldom second chances with children and I feel that everyone should be on their guard anywhere and not just PP to ensure our children are always in a safe environment. It is our duty to step in and/or report anything that looks in anyway suspicious when it comes to our children. PP is a very safe place that has always been very much a family resort. I am sure that is still very much the case but that doesn't mean we should ever be off our guard. I would rather be told off for interfering or for being over protective then to live with 'what if's'.

The second thing I would like to say is that if all shutters and internal doors are locked whilst you are in the property please do take the time to work out an exit plan should there be a need. Just as you would at home. Most property will have fire alarms but the property may not be familiar so an exit plan should be considered.

This thread has been upsetting and a worry to many. The thread being one on crime will bring with it peoples experiences. This is good and it is positive. Knowledge is power and to learn of experiences will keep us all on our toes. We can only beat these gangs if we make life difficult for them. To have the knowledge of those who have been in such an awful situation allows us be on our guard. Because the thread is on crime we will hear the horrid experiences but please do not be put off. For every bad experience there will be many many people who haven't been touched by anything other than having a wonderful holiday in a wonderful place and will return home with great memories. By being on our guard and ensuring any strange activity is acted on we can help make that happen for all.

 

[suzystew]

Unfortunately as soon as you mention crime, people become scared. Puerto Pollensa and surrounding areas are fantastic. I believe if you take reasonable precautions you will be safe. We have had property since 87 and it was only this year we had a problem. Enjoy the island it is unbelievably beautiful and is family friendly. We just have to remember to be as careful on holiday as we are at home. Mallorca is wonderful. We are looking forward to coming back in October.

 

[pollensafan]

Having read through this i have 2 observations. Comments about the crimes making it just the same as home. I live on the outskirts of london. in the last month i have noted reports on 24 stabbings and 11 shootings. pollensa just like home? I don't think so. The second point. The police say it's 2 brothers and a gang has been operating in the area for 2 years. and they can't catch them. Sorry folks but in a town the size of pp that say's more about the police than the robbers. As the original poster said. folk had been hanging around for 2 days. How hard can it be. That of course ia assuming the will to catch them is there in the first place.

 

[Tonsyl]

On the subject of security of property and premises, we have been down that round many times in posts in the recent past and if we are not aware of what we should do, then its a poor do. However, what I find most worrying is the apparent somewhat casual approach by the local police. It beggars belief that, as was said above, no action appears to have been taken against what would appear to be known criminals. If I owned property in PP then, I would be banging on a few doors in the town hall asking why, what amounts to, a blind eye is being used. I am almost positive that if this was happening in the Palma area, backsides would be being kicked by senior officers, so why not in Pollensa.

 

[Harters]

It is one thing the police "knowing" who the criminals are. And another thing having the evidence to arrest and prosecute them.

Hardly a problem confined to PP or, indeed, Spain in general.

 

[lovemallorca]

It is one thing the police "knowing" who the criminals are. And another thing having the evidence to arrest and prosecute them.

Hardly a problem confined to PP or, indeed, Spain in general.

So very true - The "good old days" when you would put a marked car outside some lowlife's house, or drag them into the nick at some ungodly hour just to really show them who was boss are long-gone.

Apparently an old favourite was to loose the keys to the Sherpa van that they were locked in the back of. Only when their bladder had "let them down" were they allowed to make their way home.

All hearsay of course.

 

[lovemallorca]

On the subject of security of property and premises, we have been down that round many times in posts in the recent past and if we are not aware of what we should do, then its a poor do. However, what I find most worrying is the apparent somewhat casual approach by the local police. It beggars belief that, as was said above, no action appears to have been taken against what would appear to be known criminals. If I owned property in PP then, I would be banging on a few doors in the town hall asking why, what amounts to, a blind eye is being used. I am almost positive that if this was happening in the Palma area, backsides would be being kicked by senior officers, so why not in Pollensa.

Sadly, I suspect because nobody was hurt, and with no meaningful link between Steve's comments about his children being watched/photographed, and the subsequent break-in, it is treated as a simple theft from premises.

All the items were insured, and unless there is overwhelming evidence to put the suspects at the crime-scene, it becomes a "dead-duck".

Steve says that he identified the intruder, but it was the middle of the night, dark, and it would take very little to undermine his positive ID.

Sadly, as we have seen from many of the early posts, the initial response now is more likely to be that he was trying to exaggerate/fake an insurance claim rather than having been a genuine victim.

Many of the behaviours that Steve experienced are very unusual - Most criminals live in terror of being caught by a householder, child abductors are not interested in stealing sunglasses and passports are inevitably left as they are simply serve to convict you if they are found on your person.

To that end, it may be easier to treat as a simple break-in, and move onto chasing away the "looky-looky men"

 

[tanpug2]

wow, staggered! Fake insurance claim! Cheers - I feel like a should post my name and job - in fact I will - I am ***** - I don;t need money from bogus insurance claims!
You know what - I posted this as someone who loves PP and was so distraught over what happened to us and wanted to ensure people don;t experience what we did! If people want to trivialise what happened feel free - if you think this was about money then think again - the lengths we have gone to providing increased security at home for my wife such is her fears since the ordeal has cost me infinitely more than any insurance money AND the bulk of the pricey electronic kit stolen was my companies not mine.
Seriously I am staggered by the volume of amateur criminal psychologist who seem to know more about what I am supposed to be about and the theives than me!

 

[animagic21]

Yes it's quiet an eye opener Steve. I for one thank you for your post because I have always viewed PP in a different way to my hometown here on the South Coast. Try and remain positive and I really feel for yourself and your wife.

 

[tanpug2]

love mallorca - my wife reckons I may have just completely misinterpreted your thread.....that you are talking about what the Police probably thought - not what you think! Sorry if that is the case! I am (as you can probably tell) most touchy and sensitive about the issue!

 

[lovemallorca]

love mallorca - my wife reckons I may have just completely misinterpreted your thread.....that you are talking about what the Police probably thought - not what you think! Sorry if that is the case! I am (as you can probably tell) most touchy and sensitive about the issue!

Steve - She is quite right. I was trying to explain from a position of some experience, how I think that the police may have chosen to deal with the matter.

I want to extend every sympathy to you - Crime is always a shock when it comes into anyone's life - Particularly so during the rare moments that we get to share on holiday with our families.

From a personal note - I really hope that you return to Pto Pollensa. It is for the very most part a safe, and beautiful place where locals think nothing of letting their children play outside until 11pm.

Come back with your family and don't let those worthless sh*ts spoil things for you.

 

[Tonsyl]

I think the nail has just been hit on the head over the attitude of the police in this matter when it was just suggested that "they treat it as a minor burglary and get on with chasing off the looky looky men". We all know that the Policia Local is a very amateurish police force, compared to our own and some of whom are only employed during the tourist season, probably more for window dressing than much else. That being the case, make sure that all you property owners get your security jacked up because you aren't going to get help from the authorities. As to the matter of knowledge and proof in respect of the gangs now and for the last couple of years operating in and around PP, I am positive that "a friendly word" might be had !!

 

[kate1]

As Harters said, I don't think the PP police should be singled out for their failure to arrest someone on suspicion alone. That's European modern policing for you, unfortunately. When we were burgled in the UK the police told me that they were pretty sure who had done it - but without physical proof they were powerless. The guy was only arrested two years down the line when he cut himself climbing through the window in someone else's house and thus left his DNA at the scene... subsequently he confessed to virtually every burglary in our town over a three-year period! A one-man crimewave, and possibly this guy is too. He is clearly a risk-taker, and prepared to risk his own life leaping over balconies, so hopefully at some point he will be caught either in the act of burgling or by DNA (or better still, break his neck!)

I also think that it's the Guardia Civil who deal with matters such as burglaries - don't the Policia Local just handle traffic duties etc? - but I could be wrong about that.

It would be interesting to know whether local residents also experience burglary with the same regularity or whether tourists are specifically targeted in most cases. As LoveMallorca says, locals do seem very laid back about safety/security - quite happy to let even very small children play out of sight in the street, and never closing, never mind locking, communal front doors to apartment blocks, for example. In fact, in April I saw a family, clearly holidaymakers, close the front door carefully behind them, and an elderly Mallorcan lady immediately rushed out and propped it wide open again... I got the impression she spent her whole day doing this. Maybe some sort of local campaign is in order, aimed at residents as well as tourists, to ensure everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet?

 

[pollensa]

I also think that it's the Guardia Civil who deal with matters such as burglaries - don't the Policia Local just handle traffic duties etc? - but I could be wrong about that.

I think it may depend on the severity & whether you just need a report for insurance or are likely to prosecute. When our tumble drier was stolen we filed a report with the Local Police (in Pollensa town as there was no-one available in PP!). The report that I have from Steve (tanpug2) is from the Guardia Civil.

 

[JMD40]

I have read these various postings with amazement in the last couple of days biting my lip and keeping my hands behind my back to prevent me from replying and personally insulting someone. Personally I think the post should now be closed as enough has been said on the matter. I think the situation was handled very well by the Administrators of the site who removed the post until they were sure it was correct to protect the image of Pollensa and then allowed it to be posted when all was confirmed as unfortunatley true.

Why some people who spend two weeks a year in Puerto Pollensa think they should see a copy of someone police report or decide it is a fairytale is beyond me. Believe me you do not know everything there is to know about the workings of the police force or the town hall and are not in a position to judge either the person making the claim or the police force. Do you think the Met Police would tell Jo Public how their enquiries are developing - I imagine a lot of work goes on behind the scenes that we have no knowledge of and I am aware that there are many plain clothed police men wandering around Puerto Pollensa - trust me! Hopefully everyone who has read it has had their eyes opened that Total Paradise does not exist - how ever beautiful, safe and fantastic a place is (and Puerto Pollensa IS all of those things) it often only takes the actions of one individual, or group of people to sway things. This could either be a criminal committing a crime or it could be a `victim´behaving in a way they would not normally behave in their own country and becoming a victim of a crime partly due to their actions. How many `rapes´occur in Magalluf each week according to the spanish newspapers?

I have lived here for 26years and worked in tourism almost of those years and am very aware that many (if not most) people do arrive in their property, dump their hand luggage with ALL their personal belongings on the dining table, open up all the doors and windows and go and explore their holiday accomodation..... thieves have hit on this many many years ago and follow them in, grab the bag and they are off. It is opportunists. Puerto Pollensa now has a huge non spanish community and attracts people from all walks of life and this has naturally increased the crime rate - it is not the small resort it once was where everyone knew each other and looked out for each other.

Unfortunatley very few of the tourists or the locals have changed with the times and thought carefully about the real world we now live in and ensure that doors, windows are securely locked, personal belongings are kept safe or childrens free movement capped. But, is that not why we love it? However I did double lock my home last night when I went home which to be honest I do not usually do and shall certainly be a little more careful of my actions to not make it easy for anyone who may be targeting this area - well known Europe wide as a Paradise. Is anyone aware that Praire de Luz in Portugal which if you have been there you will know is not that different to PP is still suffering the after effects of the Madeline McCann story. Tourists do not want to go there, businesses have closed and yet many had been holidaying there happilly for years and years.
I hope you will put this awfal experience behind you Steve and return to enjoy many more happy and safe holidays in Puerto Pollensa. IT REMAINS ONE OF THE SAFEST PLACES IN THE WORLD AND WE SHOULD ALL STRIVE TO KEEP IT THAT WAY BY SUPPORTING AND LEARNING FROM VICTIMS INSTEAD OF KNOCKING THEM.


This forum is to share helpful and useful information not to judge and be seen to know more about anything than anyone. PHEW!

 

[pollensa]

Thanks very much Jan.

I think it is now time to lock this thread as there is really no more to say unless there are any developments in the original incident.

Please do all take time to read the 'sensible' posts in this thread and just take a little more care when you come on holiday.