Briton killed in Albufeira

[sam]

Did anyone hear on kiss fm 06 June that a man was using an ATM in albufeira at 2 am and was set about by a group of 4 or 5 and laid them all out, turned out he was a cage fighter. Gnr arrived and put them in custody. Hope it is true and will wait for the NEWS to report it

Many years ago my uncle was set upon by 3 guys late at night after leaving the pub on his own. He was deaf & his slow and probably slurred speech more than likely made them think he was an ideal target. Unfortunately for them he had been a boxer - if I remember right he laid out 2, and the 3rd ran off before he could hit him, with the other 2 swiftly following their mate

[EMM]

As ever the british press can be relied on to get the facts wrong and over dramatise events.

According to the Sunday Times ( usually reliable ) Portimao has been declared an area where tourists should be carefull following the death of a tourist.
It was Albufeira.

We are aware of the appalling events but unless the press can get its facts right then the Algarve will be tarred with a reputaion that only a small very downmarket part of Albufeira deserves.

[HampshireRich]

As ever the british press can be relied on to get the facts wrong and over dramatise events.

According to the Sunday Times ( usually reliable ) Portimao has been declared an area where tourists should be carefull following the death of a tourist.
It was Albufeira.

We are aware of the appalling events but unless the press can get its facts right then the Algarve will be tarred with a reputaion that only a small very downmarket part of Albufeira deserves.

It's not just Albufeira though - there was the murder in CVO, the obnoxious McCann case and I suspect if you read further all areas across the Algarve have their moments. Its a matter of perspective - there are far more incidents in the Canaries, Majorca, Ibizia Malaga etc but a lot more people go there and these areas get a lot publicity. Whilst times are hard, crimes increase - Portugal will not be immune from this - local people or those from further apart will see tourists with cash to spare and unfortunately, tourists will be targetted by those who are so inclined to do so - no different from any town or city in the world - the bigger the town, the more likely it is to happen. However, the likelihood if it happening in CVO or other smaller villages or towns in the Algarve is still very small - petty theft maybe, but violent assault - no.

[EMM]

The death in Carvoeiro was I believe not a robbery or on a tourist but a local road rage incident out of season and cannot be compared with those that resulted in the misleading articles such as that in today Sunday times.
Everything you say about the temptations that tourist areas offer to the criminal element is correct.
However as Carvoeiro has only a fraction of the numbers who visit Albifeira, does not have the same age profile, or numbers of stag/hen parties etc with the behaviour associated with them I believe/hope that we will not experience anything like the level of " perceived "risk that you see elsewhere.
Also get it in proportion , the population of Albufeira increases from I believe from 40,000 to over 300,000 in the summer. only a complete idiot would think that crime levels would not also increase.

Maybe my relaxed views are based on our experiences elsewhere in the world where hotels and transfer coaches had armed guards and to leave your hotel at night was regarded as the height of stupidity.

In a few weeks we will be back in thr Algarve and we will probably have a few nights with friends in the " old Town " of Albufeira and we will not change our behaviour or view ourselves at any greater risk ( NIL ) than we have done for the last 6 years.

[HampshireRich]

The death in Carvoeiro was I believe not a robbery or on a tourist but a local road rage incident out of season and cannot be compared with those that resulted in the misleading articles such as that in today Sunday times.

Still a crime irrespective of who it was against.

However we are in agreement that it is the number of people that give the opportunist the capability to commit a crime against someone - CVO as you say does not have a large population even at the height of the season and it traditionally one of the safest places you can visit - and long may it stay so.

[Phil]

I read that article in the Sunday Times Travel Section and although i don' have to hand right now i thought it named the person who they say was attacked in Portimao and also gave some other name for the guy attacked in Albufeira.

That would suggest someone was attacked in Portimao or were there two separate incidents in Albufeira?

[EMM]

Ian Haggarth the person named in the Sunday Times article as dying following an attack in Portimao was in fact attacked in the montechoro area of Albufeira.
A british tourist did die in a swimming accident in the area covered by the Portimao marine police.

Maybe this is what confused the Sunday Times journalist.