Another Burglary

[Graham]

Hi Michael - they left the furniture (well they threw it in the pool!)

It was the patio they nicked

[pato]

Just how many of those property owners who post and paint a unfair and unrealistic picture of Carvoeiro and the Algarve will point out the high level of risks ( as they view them ) to prospective renters !!

ME! ME!

[EMM]

So you agree that you paint an unfair and unrealistic picture of Carvoeiro then.

[bruce]

We rented a villa in ADM in July last year - there were notes everywhere reminding us to be vigilant and to make sure the windows/door at the front of the villa were locked when we were at the rear of the villa. The brochure the owner sent had a paragraph outlining the security of the villa and the precautions we must take. The patio doors had been fitted with a roller shutter - now these kind of measures do lead you to believe there is a certain amount of crime in the area.

We stayed in Pato's villa in October and we found that quite secure - he did ask that we ensure everything was locked up and alarmed when we were out. He was honest and I appreciated that.

[EMM]

Roller shutters are nothing special in the fort nox sense they are almost a standard fitting on new builds be they villas or apartments.
They are cheaper to manufacture than the traditional aluminium type and have the benefit of being harder to open from the outside.
They do not look as good .
They were on the first apartment we stayed in on our first trip to the Algarve in the 1980,s.
You can make as many suggestions or recommendations as you like to guests but this will not stop them leaving doors and windows open or mobile phones, cash and laptops strewn around.
We too suggest that for their own comfort and security that they ensure all door and windows are locked and shutters down.

Do NOTHING special just behave as you would when leaving your own house in the UK.

[sam]

We have fences with barbed wire around our garden. Young lads still climb over to swim in the pool, so no doubt would not deter burglars.

[bruce]

Thank you EMM but I don't have, or feel the need to have roller shutters on any of my doors in the UK.

[EMM]

THats because they are not a traditional fixture in the UK however they are across most of europe.

[Bristle Si]

In Spain most properties have those black bars (vertical) across all windows and the doors on villas and apartments are multi-locking, really thick solid wood and do seem much more secure than some of he flimsy doors fitted in CVO villas and apartments.
Ever since we've been visiting Portugal i've wondered why the same doesn't exist in Portugal as in their neighbours, Spain.

[pato]

So you agree that you paint an unfair and unrealistic picture of Carvoeiro then.

No just tell it as it is and I feel that's only fair, I'm not talking about Cvo I'm talking about ADM and just advising caution. How you can level that critcism I'll never know, you must be wearing rose tinted glasses if you think there's no problem

[EMM]

If you are the owner of a property thats broken into then in your mind there is a problem.

If you are the other 98% of owners then you will think otherwise.

It is also a proven statistic ( ask any policeman ) that once broken into you are at a higher risk of it happening again.

If the majority of ADM owners actually think that there is a problem then it is up to them to take the necessary steps, no amount of comments on this or any other forum will make the slightest difference.
Do you actually have statistics of the number of breakins etc ??

If you want opinions changed you need to provide facts NOT headlines.

Back to bars, before air conditioning they allowed householders to keep doors and windows open for ventilation whilst keeping undesirables out.

[Michael Crane]

It is also a proven statistic ( ask any policeman ) that once broken into you are at a higher risk of it happening again.

This is so. They have a good look round the first time and then return later to pick up the heavier items they weren't able to steal earlier.

[jonboy]

Statistics can always be compiled / cut and also interpreted in many ways and clearly there will be large number of owners - residential and occasional visitors who have never been and hopefully never will be affected by break ins. However there are quite a few areas in Carvoeiro where there are recurring instances of break-ins to properties. Fact. Many - of these properties, mine included, are secured by all manner of devices so for EMM to imply that those impacted are holiday homes that have inadequate security is in my opinion the views of someone who: 1) happily takes official braod based stats at face value 2) is not prepared to face facts that there is a growing problem,albeit in a small number of well known hotspots, ll of which just so happens to be geographically convenient for the hoods living on Poco Partido. The GNR are 100% aware of the hotspots (the unofficial words of the Chef Do GNR !) and are well acquainted with the those who behind many ( not all ) of these crimes.

No one here is trying to be negative about Carvoeiro or put off new or returning holidaymakers. It is quite simply a statement of fact relating to 2/3 areas where for a variety of reasons the GNR are not able to deal with the issues. If the rise in crime in the localised hotspots continues then the problem will spread out to other areas as the hoods know they can get away with it and even if they don’t the penalties are seldom stiff enough to be a long term deterrent. I am working behind the scenes to try and do something about this but it does not help when people are turning a blind eye to indisputable facts even if they are not specific to their own particular area or experiences.

JB

[DVBRO]

So you agree that you paint an unfair and unrealistic picture of Carvoeiro then.

No just tell it as it is and I feel that's only fair, I'm not talking about Cvo I'm talking about ADM and just advising caution. How you can level that critcism I'll never know, you must be wearing rose tinted glasses if you think there's no problem

EMM it is the 98% that we are trying to advise to be very cautious. They may think that they own/rent a secure property. Just trying to make everyone be more aware when they visit the Area. This is a quiet tranquil place that a lot of people envisage and enjoy, however, this makes it more accessible for opportunists who wish to make our lives more uncomfortable.

[sam]

It is also a proven statistic ( ask any policeman ) that once broken into you are at a higher risk of it happening again.

This is so. They have a good look round the first time and then return later to pick up the heavier items they weren't able to steal earlier.

They also tend to wait until you have replaced the stolen items, so they can relieve you of them again.