GeniB

I don't think they ever thought there was anything worth stealing

Plus there seems to be little culture of worrying about theft here. It is still very rare to be robbed,or attacked in your home (the last spate some yrs ago was from eastern european thugs) Modern windows and doors have safety locks that allow for air without access

GeniB

Abduct your grandchild ? Why on earth would that happen?

robbie20

Is that supposed to be a joke ?

EMR

Not just eastern Europeans.On a well known development in Albufeira the culprits were a group from the UK who dressed as holiday makers used to wander around looking for easy targets, open doors and windows, phones, laptops cash etc.

GeniB

Well thats Albufeira. A totally different story

GeniB

Were you replying to my post? or the one before ?

robbie20

I was replying to your post, where you put, "Abduct your grandchild, why on earth would that happen."

gedscottish

Stats will show you that's it far more likely to happen in the UK rather than Portugal, bars on your windows in UK too?

robbie20

In Tavira, our bedrooms are at street level and we like to sleep with our windows open because it is as you are aware, very hot in the summer. In the UK our bedrooms are upstairs and it is not often warm enough to have windows open. This child is never, ever left alone either in the UK or Portugal. My son is a criminal solicitor, so we are well aware of the population of paedophiles in many countries. So no, in answer to your question, we do not need metal bars on upstairs windows in Yorkshire.

AliceCaroline

I'm sure that an awful lot more children die in house fires than are abducted from their homes.
Wouldn't bars on windows hinder your escape if there was a fire?
That would worry me more.

robbie20

To Alice Caroline. As I already said, the bedrooms are on the ground floor, next to the front door, we also have 2 other doors on the same level, so no concerns at all about getting out of the house if there was a fire. So, you may be worried, but I am not.

GeniB

Okaeee It would help a little if you explained why you thought that was a joke?

GeniB

Exactly how I look at it . The stats on child abduction still have it at 99% family members -(ex-partners) Bars on windows wouldn't stop that happening.

liveaboard

I've had it both ways; bars and no bars on windows.

I just wouldn't want to sleep with unguarded windows open, even in my ultra low crime rate area, even with my fuzzy canine alarm system.

On the other hand, window bars are far from perfect; I have ben robbed through the bars [the thief fished things out with a pole, which was left behind].

I installed a ventilation system on our house here, which effectively solves the problem, and more.
it has a heat exchanger so will heat up the fresh air in winter using the heat of the exhausted air. in summer it has a bypass to let cold air in. and it filters the air to lower allergens.

This machine also does a lot to keep the moisture levels down, and despite inadequate insulation we have no mold or damp odors even in winter [most houses here smell of mildew to me].

It's called "heat recovery ventilation", look it up. Although they are not part of Portuguese construction culture, you can order them [I ordered from Rolear]. They're common in the US and UK.

So now we have fresh air all the time, filtered, with minimum heat loss, and close the windows at night, but they can still be used to escape should that ever be necessary.

My sofa wouldn't fit through the door, but it did fit through the window.

robbie20

Reply to Liveboard. That's all very interesting information you have provided. Thank you.