RocksAndBikes

So...

How safe is Portugal? What is the biggest worries? Crime Rates?
I''m guessing any big city has the usual problems and tourist spots the same but is there anything else my wife might need to know...

Thanks, Tony.

Supremegermalene

Keep your house secure lots of opportunistic burglars that target tourist areas so keep any money/jewellery well hidden.

Lots of people asking for money to fund drug habits, usual stuff.

G

gedscottish

hmmmm..... "car jacking".... don't show you have money if you do have it....expensive cars, fancy houses just draw attention to the scum of the earth theif.....oh and guns are 100 times more common than in the U.K (don't know the stats......but its pretty rife)

on the upside though.....the place just feels so much safer, especially in smaller places.... walk by a group of drunk neds and they will say "hello" rather jump on your skull for fun

5 years in Portugal and never had/seen trouble

TaviraTrog

You lot must live in dangerous parts of Portugal. Here in Tavira we have a few gipsy beggars and the odd punch up and the English bar. I have been told there is a bit of drugs dealing going on but haven't seen it myself.

Supremegermalene

TBH you wouldn't see it. I have seen a lot as my oh is PT and therefore I go to other PT people's houses and friends of friends etc, and I see a lot. Also I often hear people talking about getting stuff, of course they all have their names like we have Charlie etc so you'd have to know the name for everything to understand when people are talking about it, or they will talk in 'code'. Drugs are pretty rife.

Nearly everyone I know smokes hash, and a lot do coke. Not in a major way, though I know people who have been so screwed up one guy blew his brains out with a gun and the other threw himself off a cliff. A lot of people take Ketamine.

This is the major reason I have always had doubts about taking my kids to live in PT, but I had a conversation with someone I know that used to be a drug runner and she told me I was just very naive. She says in towns in the UK the situation is probably worse it's just I have not been exposed to it in the UK.

Whether that is true or not I don't know.

There are a fair bit of muggings too, I was mugged in 1990 and my MIL was mugged in 2005. It's getting worse with so many eastern europeans, at least the PT people blame them though it could just be PT people from other towns.

G

Sharon B

Yikes!! Supremegermalene, where in Portugal are you based?

Supremegermalene

I'm not there but my OH is from Praia da Luz!

It's not just there it's everywhere, you just don't see it. All behind closed doors. Depends on age as well, I know a lot of people in their late teens early twenties and obviously it's more common in that age group, as when people get older and start having families in the main they leave all that behind them...but not always ;-)

Oh and btw, its's not just PT people, my experiences are with expats too.

G

Jon_D

I've lived in Madeira since 1999 and seen the problems grow, but not to the scale of the UK. Some tourist coaches now avoid Camara do Lobos, for example, since the tourists visiting there were being hassled by kids demanding money from them for drugs! However crime here is still very low. Obviously don't go walking alone at night in the old part of Funchal. When I visited Lisboa I was told by friends there to completely avoid a whole suburb! Forget its name at the moment!

gedscottish

In the know... Its not so much what I see & where I live but I do read the Jornal de Noticias newspaper daily, I also socialise with Portuguese/work with them so I get to know what the latest gossip is

Drugs I am pretty sure you will find Tavira is as rife as any town with drugs. Fortunatly most users hide it more than they would in the U.K... but unfortunatly they all need to feed their habbits....and they aint working for it(can only lead to crime) Crack & heroin are a real problem in Portugal. Hash heads are about, and its time Portugal made it legal so they can get much needed revenue by taxing them

Car jacking I cant mind the figures but I think it was around 350 cars stolen this way in 2008 in Portugal, the majority are taken at gun point. Although this is mainly a Lisbon/Porto problem it happens all over. Cars that are normally targeted are modern Audi,bmw & Mercs. A gang targetted this area a few months back and stole 11 cars if I remember well within 10 miles of here. 1 young guy tried to speed off as he did not want to give up his pride & joy.... a shot was fired & it went through his hand splitting the steering wheel in half...... he still got away though, another middle aged guy was shot in the foot for refusing....so they will use force if need be, My advice is....hand them the keys!

Not trying be a scare monger here just giving that facts as our eyes should be open to the problems....lets not wear rose tinted specs!
Overall though I feel a lot safer in Portugal than I did in the central belt of Scotland!

gedscottish

Looking at the statistics Portugal really aint a bad place to be.....

BURGLARIES (PER CAPITA)

1. AUSTRALIA
7. U.K
24. PORTUGAL

CAR THEFT (PER CAPITA)

1. AUSTRALIA
3. U.K
13. PORTUGAL

DRUG OFFENCES

1. GERMANY
2. U.K
25. PORTUGAL

ROBBERIES (PER CAPITA)

1. SPAIN
7. PORTUGAL
8. U.K

GUN VIOLENCE (HOMICIDE RATE)

1. SOUTH AFRICA
18. PORTUGAL
(U.K NOT LISTED IN TOP 32 COUNTRIES)

Stats taken from http://www.nationmaster.com

Mitzyboy

Where did those come from?

scott909

Supremegermalene

Hmmm well tbh I don't have great faith in the PT police recording all incidents.

My Brother in Law was found dead on the side of the EN125 during Euro 2004. Could have been a simple motorbike accident, however his bike was found much further down the road...upright, resting against a wall. He was found behind a wall at the entrance to Alma Verde (wall has since been removed!). His money bag was missing though miraculously re-appeared on my MIL's doorstep a couple of days later. His helmet was off but had blood inside indicating he'd been wearing it upon impact, so who took it off?

The police did not tape off the road, took no skid mark measurements, friends who had been with him that evening went under their own steam to their police station to give their statements but the police weren't interested. The bike was never looked over. No-one was questioned. The police didn't even have the decency to contact my PIL's some bystander did that. (and my god were they tactful, not)

Basically the police are a pile of cr*p in my opinion, it's dismal and I very much doubt minor incidents are reported much, if they can't even be bothered with a death. One thing the UK is far better at is responding to incidents; fire, ambulance & police. (IMO)

G

Mitzyboy

You're tryng to make me look silly now
(Im sure that wasnt there when I clicked the quote)

the troubadour

Got robbed on the Lisboa metro going three stops back in 1991.Had wallet in front pocket of jeans and felt nothing ...a really pro job, lost a lot of money though.
Great country though and never ever felt in danger for my personal safety.