# do you feel safe alone at home



## nidelva (Nov 12, 2012)

Hello,
I was wondering about a level of personal safety in Spain at the moment. Can those who came from the UK or other country to live in Spain feel safe at home if they are single (especially ladies), or stay without family members because of the circumstances? Especially at night?
Will the case be different for an appartment, etc. in city or a house in the countryside? 
To my knowledge, in Italy for example, my friends in Milano once had intruders in the evening in their house while all the family and their dog (Irish levrier) were at home. This case makes me to ask my question, and hope it will be useful to other people considering a move.
Thanks for your opinions in advance.


----------



## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

We live in the campo and feel perfectly safe. I teach teenagers (including girls) all of whom feel very safe wandering around Nerja at night. True, there are more burglaries but they tend to be unattended holiday homes which are easy to spot. We have an alarm system fitted which also videos the culprits and tells them at the same time and also contacts the alarm company who sent the police. Haven't needed it yet!!!


----------



## blackduff (Mar 19, 2013)

I lived (6 yrs) in the Cadiz region and I have to agree that there are some small worrys. But, overall, I find that Spain was more secure than France when I moved to there. Spain had fewer serious problems, although small thieves abound.

Often I was in a the middle of what was going to be a big fight but strangers jumped into the middle of the fracas and stopped the whole problem. I guess this is from the after-Franco fear about the police.

Still, where I live in France is kinda calm too.

Blackduff


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

The answer to your question is Yes.

Of course there is no country in the world where you can be guaranteed a 100% stress-free life.

But I believe fear of crime is often a greater concern than actual crime itself. I am a 'mature' aka 'old' female, living in a big old house with my female partner. This is a quiet area of big houses and gardens, deserted at night and with many houses empty. We have been burgled but we now take more sensible precautions - we didn't before the break-in.

It helps that we have a large and very protective dog but even without him I would feel safe and taking reasonable precautions would go anywhere at any hour of the day or night.


----------



## neilmac (Sep 10, 2008)

Mrs Mac says;

I always feel safe here. We live a bit away from the coast but I don't think that is relevant. As you probably know Spain knows how to have a party and if you join in then it is usually with the full spectrum and ages of society. All rubbing along nicely together. Saying that you should always have your wits about you for pickpockets in any large gathering...

My eighty plus neighbour feels happy to walk to the bins at 2ish in the morning - I regard this as a positive indicator. Of course there are places where safety might be and issue but as a general feel there does not appear to be as much indiscriminate violent behaviour here as compared, say, to the UK. 

It may just be a state of mind but it 'feels' better here


----------



## olivefarmer (Oct 16, 2012)

We are the worlds worst at security. Leaving front door keys in outside over night, forgetting to lock up when we went out, leaving car unlocked with keys in and so on. Easy when you feel the campo is like Britain was when we were kids (our house was never locked except if we went away on holiday).

Some expats , with a dog, five miles away were attacked and robbed one evening not long ago by two masked men. We have taken steps since.

I only expect more as people seek an easy way of making a living in the absence of jobs.


----------



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

olivefarmer said:


> We are the worlds worst at security. Leaving front door keys in outside over night, forgetting to lock up when we went out, leaving car unlocked with keys in and so on. Easy when you feel the campo is like Britain was when we were kids (our house was never locked except if we went away on holiday).
> 
> Some expats , with a dog, five miles away were attacked and robbed one evening not long ago by two masked men. We have taken steps since.
> 
> I only expect more as people seek an easy way of making a living in the absence of jobs.


Yes,until our house was burgled, we were similarly casual...But no longer. Now it's shutters down and alarm on even if we leave the house for ten minutes.

Coincidentally, we emerged from our house this morning to find several Policia Nacional outside a house next door but one, which has been empty for at least five years. Another break-in...


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

I went to the Thyssen today in Madrid (very good exibition of the impressionists http://www.museothyssen.org/microsites/exposiciones/2013/airelibre/vv/index_in.htm) .
When we came out we walked down, crossed C/ Alcalá, and walked down C/ Barquillo. Suddenly I felt a slight touch on my bag and turned around to find 2 young women behind us. I asked 
¿Pero qué haces?
What are you doing??
They said
Nada señora
and indicated for me to go ahead. When I said that I would prefer them to go in front one of them decided to squat down between 2 cars and have a pee.
I decided to leave them to it!!
About 2 years ago I found someone with their hand in my bag just outside the Thyssen, so it's obviously a place for ripe pickings!

I do feel safe at home though, even though I know people who have been attacked in their home... My house is very "normalito" though and I have a metal gate/ hedge stone wall about 2 metres high all the way round, houses on both sides, and my garden backs on to everyone elses garden so you'd have to go through 2 or three to get into my back windows.


----------



## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

Very safe i live mainly on the campo and my wife and children in 9 yrs have had no problems i may have been lucky don't know but i have been to a lot of countries and i must say i feel safer here than anywhere 
Things may change as the crisis bites but be vigilant and change your routine and you should be ok as pesky says watch your bags as pick pockets are rife here and anyone walking behind you treat as a threat 
We have a saying here that when tourists arrive they leave their brains in the uk


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I used to live in the campo with my two children and my husband commuted to the UK, so wasnt around much - I never felt unsafe. I think as long as you use common sense and dont take risks then you're as safe as anywhere else

Jo xxx


----------



## tonyinspain (Jul 18, 2011)

jojo said:


> I used to live in the campo with my two children and my husband commuted to the UK, so wasnt around much - I never felt unsafe. I think as long as you use common sense and dont take risks then you're as safe as anywhere else
> 
> Jo xxx


Exactly jo jo xxx


----------



## Susanita001 (May 28, 2012)

I work as a tour guide with Americans and have seen many things over the years in all the major cities - at least the touristy ones. Galicia and Asturias aren't as bad. Having said this, we live in a tiny village and I often forget and leave the keys in our door and never lock the car -mind you, if you saw the car.....
And I always felt safe as a student living in madrid walking home late at night - something I wouldn't have done alone in the UK


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Much safer than in the UK


----------



## nidelva (Nov 12, 2012)

It was reassuring to hear your opinions and thanks for that.
It appears then that Spain is more safe than Italy or France regarding the mentioned safety issue.
A good point for reflection indeed among other, as one of you has referred, about the role of dictatorship in shaping society's attitudes and crime level.

Happy Easter to everybody!


----------



## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

I have a question that is kind of related to home safety so hope I can ask it here.

When looking at rental properties and reading the blurb that comes with it they often mention "arma". Normally this is around where the alarm is mentioned so I guess it's part of the security system but I can't think what it might mean it actually is.

Am I right in thinking Arma is weapon?
Secondly how does that apply to the house, does it mean it's booby trapped or something?


----------



## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

I was born and brought up in Swansea.....this place is like Disneyworld compared to that.

In this town, everybody knows (or is related to) everybody else. So people do look out for each other and have a lot of community pride.

Anybody new stands out a mile......and it's a very unforgiving place for outsiders to come in and commit crimes....the town emblem pretty much says it all!


----------

