# Safest place among: Almeria , Murcia, Alicante, Valencia area?



## Lonely

Hello, I have a 70 years old friend wishing to move to Spain.

Could you please order these 4 places from top (the safest place) to bottom (the less safe) among:

- Almeria
- Alicante
- Murcia
- Valencia province (Castellon area)

Thank you


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## zenkarma

Safe in terms of what? Crime? What kind of crime?

I don't think picking any of those places on the sole basis of which is the safest is a particularly sensible thing to do. Spain has crime all over the place, it's not restricted to particular places, but neither is it particularly bad or extensive and that's not to say it doesn't happen because it does.

I think you need to rethink this.


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## jojo

.... or safe with regards to crime, if so, what type of crime. Or do you mean ease of walking around, steps, dangerous roads, steep hills, good pavements.....????

Its a bit of a difficult question to answer. I'm sure some authority or other will have various crime statistics, but as to the demographics, well Spain is a bit hilly with rather unforgiving pavements in general

Jo xxxx


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## Pesky Wesky

Lonely said:


> Hello, I have a 70 years old friend wishing to move to Spain.
> 
> Could you please order these 4 places from top (the safest place) to bottom (the less safe) among:
> 
> - Almeria
> - Alicante
> - Murcia
> - Valencia province (Castellon area)
> 
> Thank you


If you're talking about crime it's a bit of a impossible question to answer. I think in all places there are areas that are safer than others, and things do tend to change too. If someone said that Alicante was safe for example, I would just think he didn't know Alicante very well because I'm sure some parts are safer than others - like everywhere. And Valencia province? Surely it depends on where in the province??


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## Lonely

Pesky Wesky said:


> If you're talking about crime it's a bit of a impossible question to answer. I think in all places there are areas that are safer than others, and things do tend to change too. If someone said that Alicante was safe for example, I would just think he didn't know Alicante very well because I'm sure some parts are safer than others - like everywhere. And Valencia province? Surely it depends on where in the province??


Yes crime, I mean I hear all the time "Costa del crime", bullets flying like if it's Detroit...stabbing...murders, that sort of crime.

Simple question: which area would be the safest for your grandma to live in?

In regards to Valencia....I did specify Castellon area...thanks.


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## Lonely

OK, just realized that Castellon is a different province, so change Valencia with Castellon, thanks.


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## jojo

Lonely said:


> Yes crime, I mean I hear all the time "Costa del crime", bullets flying like if it's Detroit...stabbing...murders, that sort of crime.
> 
> Simple question: which area would be the safest for your grandma to live in?
> 
> In regards to Valencia....I did specify Castellon area...thanks.


 It used to be called costa del crime due to the lack of a treaty between the UK and Spain, meaning our criminals could run to Spain to avoid getting caught. As for stabbings, bullets flying - well just like everywhere else, it may happen rarely - but its probably late, gang related stuff at night when Grandma is in bed asleep.

But there are pick pockets, scammers, beggars, muggings etc - but its random and you cant pin point towns that are worse than others. 

Jo xxx


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## zenkarma

Lonely said:


> Simple question: which area would be the safest for your grandma to live in?


Sorry, it's still not a simple question.

All areas have some crime, some areas within each region may well be worse than others and other areas may be perceived to be safer, that still doesn't mean you will be completely safe and vice versa.

The only real way is to pick an area you like the look and sound of and go and take a look - speak to some of the people there and gauge their opinions.

As a general rule of thumb, I would nudge you in the direction of secure gated communities which have other possible ex-patriots living there, some of which may be of the same age range as your grandmother and ask them what they think of it.

I would definitely steer away from isolated Villas and Houses miles from no-where which can quite frequently be picked on by burglars and have no-one near to hand to help if the worst should happen.


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## Pesky Wesky

Lonely said:


> Yes crime, I mean I hear all the time "Costa del crime", bullets flying like if it's Detroit...stabbing...murders, that sort of crime.
> 
> Simple question: which area would be the safest for your grandma to live in?
> 
> In regards to Valencia....I did specify Castellon area...thanks.


I think it was named Costa del Crime because some famous big time UK criminals fled there. This from Wikipedia
_During the late 1970s and 1980s, the region was also known in the United Kingdom as the "Costa del Crime", due to the trend for British gangsters to escape from legal trouble at home by moving there to live their lives in luxury. Due to tense relations between the two nations over Gibraltar, extradition between the two countries was not followed. This phenomenon has been alluded to in television shows such as Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Bad Girls and in the more recent films Sexy Beast and The Business.[1][2]_
Nowadays they're more likely go to Dubai so I've been told. Yes, things happen, just as they do in Sevilla, Madrid, Nottingham (saw a documentary about that last week ) and Bristol.
Other than that I couldn't tell you which areas are better.


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## Pesky Wesky

Lonely said:


> OK, just realized that Castellon is a different province,


Exactly.


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## Leper

Information on why and what kind of "safety" is the issue here. My gut instinct tells me to keep away from this thread. I think my instinct is correct and I am keeping away.


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## mrypg9

We live in what is considered a fairly affluent area, big houses etc. I should add that we're not affluent...comfortable, maybe.

Every single house in our street including ours has been robbed. Just up the road a couple of years back the son of an Irish mobster was gunned down by Russian hitmen as he drove his car along a quiet street .

On a ten minute drive along the N340 from Carrefour to my village I noted that I had passed at least five known and obvious alterne clubs aka brothels. 

Yet I would describe life here as quiet and uneventful. Our village has 1008 inhabitants, more in summer when the Madrilenos come. 

P.S. I am a grandmother


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## zenkarma

Leper said:


> ...I am keeping away.


That might be wise given your user name


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## Dunpleecin

If you were really looking at crime statistics then you should possibly visit the Spanish equivalent of Police.uk - Local crime, policing and criminal justice information for England, Wales and Northern Ireland which gives you crime statistics anywhere in the UK, although I'm not sure if there is one or not!

In the absence of that, what I would say is that, as in the UK, there will be areas in all provinces where crime is higher than others. So you can't just take any one province as being better than the other, because if, for example, Alicante was overall the worst, certain areas of Alicante might actually be the best and safest but the stats wouldn't reflect that.

Above advice is best I suppose. If you're that paranoid about it then go to a gated place with 24/7 security and don't leave the house!


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## mrypg9

Get a large canine companion. Since we have lived with Our Little Azor, our 54 kilo of muscle Rhodesian Ridgeback, we feel VERY safe both in our house and on the street.

No no-go areas fopr us with OLA....


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## Jumar

We live in a relatively safe area, BUT, when there is a local fiesta the area is targeted by out of town criminals. They know where the rich pickings are and move from place to place.


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## Malcolmcolvic

Hello, is there a 'Post Code' crime map like the one we have in the UK?

We are looking for a preoperty in Spain and want to avoid the 'Harlem' type areas with thier drugs, shootings and stabbings that we have so many of in the UK now.


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## xabiaxica

Malcolmcolvic said:


> Hello, is there a 'Post Code' crime map like the one we have in the UK?
> 
> We are looking for a preoperty in Spain and want to avoid the 'Harlem' type areas with thier drugs, shootings and stabbings that we have so many of in the UK now.


It won't be difficult to avoid that, Spain is one of the safest places in the world, with street attacks down by 40% in the last decade

https://www.elmundo.es/papel/2018/01/12/5a577b2eca4741687c8b465b.html



Here are some stats including by area http://www.interior.gob.es/documents/10180/6865255/Presentacion+ministro_Balance+de+Criminalidad+2016.pdf


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## Ifn

Malcolmcolvic said:


> Hello, is there a 'Post Code' crime map like the one we have in the UK?
> 
> We are looking for a preoperty in Spain and want to avoid the 'Harlem' type areas with thier drugs, shootings and stabbings that we have so many of in the UK now.


Really really really am offended by that comment. Do I have to defend myself by adding that I was a New Yorker my whole (about to be 70) life? 
Leper was right...this is a bad thread


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## kaipa

Funnily enough for the expat the least safest is usually the area where all the foreigners live which in turn is usually the more expensive areas. Why? Foreigners tend to have more money. Properties are often vacant for long periods. Coming and going creates less community so less vigilance. So if you want a safe area live where the criminals live lol


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## xabiaxica

kaipa said:


> Funnily enough for the expat the least safest is usually the area where all the foreigners live which in turn is usually the more expensive areas. Why? Foreigners tend to have more money. Properties are often vacant for long periods. Coming and going creates less community so less vigilance. So if you want a safe area live where the criminals live lol


This is very true. 

Crime is pretty low in my town - genuinely going by official figures - but that doesn't mean that there is none.

Crime is everywhere, but for some reason people are shocked when there's a burglary or mugging. Burglaries are more frequent on urbs where few people live, & where people feeling a false sense of security start leaving windows open when they go out. 

Where there are people, there will be crime.


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## KG5

I would feel more safe in an environment where Spanish people go about their everyday lives than in a gated community full of holiday homes and ex pats with (relative) financial resources.

Crime is everywhere, and if you look hard enough I'm pretty sure we can all find criminals both petty and much more serious within a pretty tight radius.

But there are some places where crime has more chance of impacting your life. Living amongst the locals, many of whom will have family or friends in the Guardia and Policia local makes sense for me. The best deterrent for crime is a community where people take care of each other....and I don't think it's that hard to find.


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## Pesky Wesky

Gated community always sounds kind of ominous to me. The fact that there are "closed communities" doesn't really reflect on the amount of crime there is in an area as much as it is a building style. I live in a large town in a very non expat area where they are numerous "closed communities" meaning there is some kind of barrier before you get to the flats/ houses (usually flats). They are 99% Spanish occupied and the foreigners living there if any are likely to be immigrants from Morocco or Romania rather than British ones. I myself, a British immigrant, live on an urbanization that isn't closed off in any way. Maybe the Spanish are locking themselves up away from me!


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## KG5

Pesky Wesky said:


> Gated community always sounds kind of ominous to me. The fact that there are "closed communities" doesn't really reflect on the amount of crime there is in an area as much as it is a building style. I live in a large town in a very non expat area where they are numerous "closed communities" meaning there is some kind of barrier before you get to the flats/ houses (usually flats). They are 99% Spanish occupied and the foreigners living there if any are likely to be immigrants from Morocco or Romania rather than British ones. I myself, a British immigrant, live on an urbanization that isn't closed off in any way. Maybe the Spanish are locking themselves up away from me!


Ironically I live in a gated community in a mainly non expat town and have done for 18 months. It is great, roughly 90% Spanish working people.....the gated element means kids can play freely.

There are a number of other such developments that have a similar dynamic and when we do buy a house here, we will consider similar properties. They are not for everyone but the others we have visited for school parties etc have been really family friendly and offer good value for money in terms of size/facilities etc, though we would also be looking at detached/town houses if they are affordable.


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## Lynn R

Pesky Wesky said:


> Gated community always sounds kind of ominous to me. The fact that there are "closed communities" doesn't really reflect on the amount of crime there is in an area as much as it is a building style. I live in a large town in a very non expat area where they are numerous "closed communities" meaning there is some kind of barrier before you get to the flats/ houses (usually flats). They are 99% Spanish occupied and the foreigners living there if any are likely to be immigrants from Morocco or Romania rather than British ones. I myself, a British immigrant, live on an urbanization that isn't closed off in any way. Maybe the Spanish are locking themselves up away from me!


I live in just such a one myself now, and I never would have thought I'd be living in a "gated community" when I first moved here. There is a closed door or a remote-controlled gate to access the "conjunto" of two apartment blocks from the street, then we have to cross the gardens and enter our block through another closed door. Our next door neighbour, who was born in the UK to non-British parents but has lived in Spain for most of his life, and us, are the only non Spanish residents. 

As you say, they are very common in Spanish towns and cities. We chose it for the apartment itself and the location, not because of any security aspects. It has its advantages (peaceful, no traffic noise as we are set far back from the street with another block between us and the road, no door to door salespeople, not even any trick or treat calls at Halloween. But at times I still feel quite "cut off" from day to day life as we don't often encounter any neighbours, completely unlike where we used to live.


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## Pesky Wesky

I think communities often have a closed access to 

A) Make sure only residents park in the parking spaces
B) Make sure only residents use the communal areas (gardens, tennis courts, pool...)
C) To make it a safer environment, although if burglars want to gain access, all they have to do is ring a door bell and say "Cartero" or similar!


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## Alcalaina

Lynn R said:


> I live in just such a one myself now, and I never would have thought I'd be living in a "gated community" when I first moved here. There is a closed door or a remote-controlled gate to access the "conjunto" of two apartment blocks from the street, then we have to cross the gardens and enter our block through another closed door. Our next door neighbour, who was born in the UK to non-British parents but has lived in Spain for most of his life, and us, are the only non Spanish residents.
> 
> As you say, they are very common in Spanish towns and cities. We chose it for the apartment itself and the location, not because of any security aspects. It has its advantages (peaceful, no traffic noise as we are set far back from the street with another block between us and the road, no door to door salespeople, not even any trick or treat calls at Halloween. But at times I still feel quite "cut off" from day to day life as we don't often encounter any neighbours, completely unlike where we used to live.


Good summary of the pros and cons. Our house is on one of the main streets that lead up to the village square, and I think I'd rather put up with a bit of traffic noise than forego the random callers selling asparagus, raffle tickets etc. The residents in flats opposite also function as an unofficial but very effective neighbourhood watch scheme!


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## xabiaxica

Alcalaina said:


> Good summary of the pros and cons. Our house is on one of the main streets that lead up to the village square, and I think I'd rather put up with a bit of traffic noise than forego the random callers selling asparagus, raffle tickets etc. The residents in flats opposite also function as an unofficial but very effective neighbourhood watch scheme!


We lived on one when the kids were little, which at the time had hardly any full time residents, but those who were, were British. It was a nightmare, partly because my kids were the only ones living there, & one neighbour hated kids & was seriously nasty to them.

In summer it was fantastic  All the holiday homes filled up with families with kids of a similar age to mine, all Spanish from Valencia & Madrid. They all had a fantastic time together - & the child hating neighbour used to ask my kids to translate whenever she wanted to complain. Rightly or wrongly I gave them permission to ignore her pleas for their help 

Most of the parents had a high level of English anyway. But she didn't have the guts to speak to them. 

We later lived on one where we were almost the only non-Spanish family, and also very few were holiday homes. That was a completely different, much more positive experience all round.


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## Isobella

xabiachica said:


> We lived on one when the kids were little, which at the time had hardly any full time residents, but those who were, were British. It was a nightmare, partly because my kids were the only ones living there, & one neighbour hated kids & was seriously nasty to them.
> 
> In summer it was fantastic  All the holiday homes filled up with families with kids of a similar age to mine, all Spanish from Valencia & Madrid. They all had a fantastic time together - & the child hating neighbour used to ask my kids to translate whenever she wanted to complain. Rightly or wrongly I gave them permission to ignore her pleas for their help
> 
> Most of the parents had a high level of English anyway. But she didn't have the guts to speak to them.
> 
> We later lived on one where we were almost the only non-Spanish family, and also very few were holiday homes. That was a completely different, much more positive experience all round.


Horses for courses We had something similar a long time ago. A town house in a community, ten houses around a pool. Most of the owners were from Madrid, just one other British couple who wintered there only. Too quiet in winter but too noisy July to around 15th August when they started making their way back. Never seen so many people in a 3 bed house. The Madrilenos would come with their kids, Grandkids, some even with a Maid in uniform. Might have been great if we had kids but we were middle aged. Not that we complained, they were totally justified and nice people but not our 
ideal place.

Touristy places seem to get the most burglaries, short term rentals are known to local thieves where they know holidaymakers usually have cash and cards and are a bit lax with windows and doors when in and out of the pool etc. One close to us had several renters robbed over a couple of years.


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## Pesky Wesky

Alcalaina said:


> Good summary of the pros and cons. Our house is on one of the main streets that lead up to the village square, and I think I'd rather put up with a bit of traffic noise than forego the random callers selling asparagus, raffle tickets etc. The residents in flats opposite also function as an unofficial but very effective neighbourhood watch scheme!


 Lynn's place is set off the road, but that's just one example! There are "gated communities" next to two major bus stops where I live, (entrances right on the main road) with buses leaving every 5 mins to go to Madrid during the rush hour and a large supermarket under one of them. Plenty of traffic and to-ing and fro-ing if you want it. On the other hand there are others which are out in the middle of nowhere. You can't generalise about "gated communities", just like you can't generalise about _urbanizaciones, _Spanish wine, the gas supply in Spain, bars on windows, people, accents and a long etc.
Some "gated communities" house several blocks of flats. Surely you'd see some of those neighbours sooner or later?





Isobella said:


> Horses for courses We had something similar a long time ago. A town house in a community, ten houses around a pool. Most of the owners were from Madrid, just one other British couple who wintered there only. Too quiet in winter but too noisy July to around 15th August when they started making their way back. Never seen so many people in a 3 bed house. The Madrilenos would come with their kids, Grandkids, some even with a Maid in uniform. Might have been great if we had kids but we were middle aged. Not that we complained, they were totally justified and nice people but not our
> ideal place.
> 
> Touristy places seem to get the most burglaries, short term rentals are known to local thieves where they know holidaymakers usually have cash and cards and are a bit lax with windows and doors when in and out of the pool etc. One close to us had several renters robbed over a couple of years.


Places where tourists are the major renters are very different to places where people live year round. That's the major difference I'd say, not whether they are so called "gated communities" or not.


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## Lynn R

Alcalaina said:


> Good summary of the pros and cons. Our house is on one of the main streets that lead up to the village square, and I think I'd rather put up with a bit of traffic noise than forego the random callers selling asparagus, raffle tickets etc.


I used to find all that a bit irritating at times, especially around Xmas time when all the children would be selling raffle tickets for school and people would be hawking calendars door to door. But I find I miss it now. We lived in a historic area and would get night time walking tours stopping outside our house in summer and ghost tours at Halloween, lots of trick or treaters (one year we got an entire nursery school class, all in costume - accompanied by parents, of course. One parent called back just after Xmas with a copy of a photo he'd taken of us outside the house with the kids, which we thought was sweet of him). Lots of school trips coming to the Semana Santa Museum which was at the top of the street. My husband would fix the neighbourhood kids' bikes for them, and lend tools or an extending ladder to neighbours. I'd get children asking me for help with their English homework. We'd see tourists outside in the street, obviously lost, and go out to see if we could help.

It's just TOO quiet here sometimes and feels more like when I lived in the UK and practically never saw my neighbours to speak to. But I don't miss the motos passing literally right underneath my windows nor the occasional loud argument or even fight breaking out in the street.


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## Beach buddy

I live in a village house surrounded by Spanish neighbours. We use the local shops, I can walk out to my shops feeling very safe at any time of the day. I had a period of living on my own for about six weeks and always felt safe. With neighbours either side od me and houses all around me I wouldnt want to be anywhere else. Gated community definate no no and not yet ready for a flat, love my garden space too much. But each to his or her own.


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## Pesky Wesky

Beach buddy said:


> I live in a village house surrounded by Spanish neighbours. We use the local shops, I can walk out to my shops feeling very safe at any time of the day. I had a period of living on my own for about six weeks and always felt safe. With neighbours either side od me and houses all around me I wouldnt want to be anywhere else. Gated community definate no no and not yet ready for a flat, love my garden space too much. But each to his or her own.


But why do you think gated community = flats and no garden?

I am an English teacher and at one time gave class to the family of a well known Spanish sports commentator who lived in one of the most exclusive "gated communities" in the Comunidad de Madrid. They had a massive house, and a massive garden with lawns and trees and their own pool... This was however an area specially chosen by them for safety reasons and there were security guards and barriers at the entrance. The guard would call the house each time I went in to see if I was expected or not. However, that doesn't mean that "gated communities" have security guards - some do, but most don't as they are a huge expense.

As I said before, you can't generalise about these residential areas, just as you can't about most things in Spain. You have to go to them to see what they are like.


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## Beach buddy

As I also said each to his or her own. I wouldnt live in a villa in Marbella but that is my personal preference.....some people love it. Just be where you feel most comfortable and happy.


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## Pesky Wesky

Beach buddy said:


> As I also said each to his or her own. I wouldnt live in a villa in Marbella but that is my personal preference.....some people love it. Just be where you feel most comfortable and happy.


Yes, I agree that each person has their own preferences and also their owns needs. My post was just pointing out that living in a gated community doesn't mean you have to live in a flat or without a garden. Just as there are all different types of houses and flats there are all different types of "gated communities" with houses or with flats, gardens or not, 1000 houses or 10, community pool or not, luxury or poor areas of towns, in the country or the city...


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