Isakat

On Monday we noticed a neat square brown sticker in the corner of our house number. We peeled it off immediately as I have heard burglars/Gypsies mark the houses before they burgle.

I called the Carabinieri and they told me that they are sending a patrol car in the night, asked me to close all shutters and to call 112 if I hear any noise in the night.

I asked my neighbours if they had found one and they are checking with the father in law, in case he found one and thought it was kids messing about.

I have changed the alarm code and put everything away from the garden like kids bikes, etc.
I just wish I had a gun......

highlander1

Me too !

Patty

sorry to hear that Isakat. I also had heard that they 'mark' your house beforehand. I really hope that this isnt the case for you. I was told to look out for chalk marks on the road or on your outer walls or anything similar. These people are just scum. Take care.

NEWCOMO

Get external wifi cameras... It seems to be the only way now to stop thieves...

Only requirement is to point the cameras at the house and stick up a sign saying video survellience in action and all done ! Around 200 euros and an internet connection and peace of mind !

BEVS

That sounds dreadful.

Really hope that nothing happens to you , your neighbours or anyone else for that matter.

37100

Yeap, our condo is the middle of installing them, too. You can link them to your smartphone to check on things. However, peace of mind. No. Our friend had his dismantled.

nicktonight

Now you have peeled it off they know you are there so you should be OK. I would stick a few fake video cameras up in a few inaccessible places with the warning sign about being filmed and spend any excess cash on really good door and window locks. The flats on either side of me in Siracusa have been burgled while I have been here but mine has not been touched almost certainly because I have a really good door lock. The condominio has still not installed a video system although these do seem to be a really good deterrent. My girlfriends block in Palermo was always getting visited until they installed a video system - unfortunately they got a very good video of me trying to break into the 5th floor flat (I got out on the wrong floor)

Krakra

Sorry to hear too and I pray they won't come back! However it's still good to be on the watch.

sunnysider

Note - am not in Italy.

I know someone who was burgled in Italy very recently. It surprised me as I know the house. Burglar in and out when people there but there was no encounter - burglary discovered when someone later entered the room.

Carabinieri called and arrived. Apparently they took some basic notes but someone (not the householder - a relative) then had to go down to the police or carabinieri station later that day to fill forms in etc etc.

Is this normal? Struck me as odd.

I'm no expert in criminology but why couldn't all the notes have been taken on site when the carabinieri could have interviewed all of the people concerned, clarified any matters by ready reference to the crime scene?

Isakat

Do you know why?

Because they know it is pointless, also taking any prints. Most are not in the system as the burglars come from certain Eastern European countries and quite often cross the border with the stolen stuff, never to be seen again.

sunnysider

Well the police in the UK have a certain reputation I think for coming round post burglary, taking a few swipes, asking questions, going back and filling in some forms** but what I was asking about was the subsequent trip to fill forms in. Is this normal?

Seems a bit of a generalisation with respect isakat - I'm old enough to remember the iron curtain and rather have the impression that there were burglaries in Italy way back then. Also, this burglary was in Sardinia - no handy border to nip over as far as I'm aware. I also know someone in a house not too far away who had two decent bikes nicked from a yard - I doubt they've been put on a flight to eastern europe - always possible they ended up in the back of a van on a ferry to Palermo, Trapani, Civitavecchia though I admit



<** somewhat spectacular case in their favour/possible exception though near me in London the other day - neighbour spotted something odd, within four minutes cops arrived - soon 8 to 10 cops, two large police vans, police dog, helicopter, police caught intruder and just as they brought him out the locksmith they had called turned up>

37100

Unfortunately, at least in this part of mainland Italy, it is not a generalisation. Yes, there were burglaries in the past, but never on this level. In town, high speed chases are frequent and the police have taken to blocking certain cars heading for home on the motorway.

The bikes, a common means of transport here, are loaded on to white vans or containers. I think most of the specialist bike stores have taken a hit here.

Yes, a subsequent trip is normal. The police who come round, check there's been a break in and only do a general report.

sunnysider

Thanks for the reply 37100 on the subsequent visit.

Does this strike you as reasonable?

Maybe I've become jaundiced from following Italy too long but I suppose I had visions of a visit to a sleepy office for more pointless form filling rather than on-site report based on location and all relevant people. I've also seen numerous numerous numerous police forces in Italy, often in twos sat in a stationary car up a side street doing nowt but play with their smartphones.

Bike theft a massive problem in London of course. And sometimes extremely blatant. I personally wouldn't have kept those nicked bikes like they were kept. Advice from many in London is 2 good locks - could easily set you back £150. I use one and an old looking bike round town. Apologies if any find London stuff off topic - put in for context. all the best

37100

LOL I've seen bikes multichained and still stolen. Our neighbour had his very - as in - expensive bike stolen from a locked up garage with an entry system and buglary alarm.

The first report is only a summary. People are often too shocked to do more and a detailed report is needed for insurance purposes etc. Our police are not very IT savvy. Another of our neighbours actually typed out her own report at the police station.

Pinco Pallino

Whatever the true figures may be, I have always found it a bit unsavoury the way that whenever there's a burglary in Italy, the automatic assumption (by the Carabinieri too) is that the perpetrators must be 'Gypsies' (if you'll excuse the term), Romanians or Albanians etc.