beverleyp

Have heard the term Costa del Crime banded about a lot. Am wondering about the nature of crime/how widespread it is/dodgy areas/how one can avoid it. (We have heard rumours of the blackmailing of expats on the street demanding regular payments in order that they will not be hassled).

Would also be interested in knowing more about particular pros and cons and pitfalls of life on the Costa Del Sol. Also I understand it was VERY hot last summer. Is that the norm? According to information on the internet summer temps don't generally go above 30 or 35 degrees?

If you would prefer to send me a personal message on the above please do.

Many thanks

missile

I would suggest you should not believe everything you hear. Like everywhere CDS has it's problems and some areas are not so nice ............

If you don't like the heat, maybe you should stay in Portugal?

manamama

I am not a fan of Costa Del Sol myself...

we lived there for a while and I felt quite unsafe but maybe that's because I am a mom of four little children and overly paranoid about dangers etc.

There is crime of course, and they target tourist and expats who look like they have money. It's the same as other places but more so because it is a tourist area.

As for the heat, there are only really three weeks or so when it is unbearable. You just do what you can, when you can..usually a good excuse to relax in the shade and forget about the housework.

jackytoo

Those rumours are just a load of rubbish, or are you just stirring! In 15 years I have never felt unsafe on the CDS. Of course there is lots of crime, as in any tourist area, Portugal included. (infact there was drugs being sold openly in Quarteria). The Costa del crime stuff rarely affects ordinary people unless you are involved with the criminals.

rugbymatt

There are absolutely no Russian gangsters and wanna be Cray Twins on the Costas whatsoever! None, not one... not a single one...

jackytoo

I was refering to this being a load of rubbish!

rugbymatt

I wasn't being sarcastic at your post Jackytoo, just sarcastic in general...

Aussie30

I think it probably depends on where you live? We don't see anything like that where we are and have never felt unsafe.

pete_l

I believe the term Costa del Crime originally came about because of the number of criminals fleeing Britian from the days when there wasn't an extradition treaty with Spain, going back some decades.
So far as crime rate goes, it does seem that Spain has more property crime than Britain. It's impossible to compare the two countries as they don't publish statistics that measure the same things (and crime stats are impossible to interpret properly anyway - as they're designed to be misleading).
From personal experience, in the UK I've never had any sort of break-in or theft from my house, and I've lived in many varied places, from London to Liverpool to the west of england and the south-east. However in Spain I've had a place in the countryside for 4 years and already had the garage ransacked and some minor vandalism. I can also guarantee that any movable items I leave outside while I'm back in the UK will get stolen - even down to the level of single flower pots and fruit (all of it!) from my trees getting nicked.
Sadly, all my neighbours tell similar stories - whether the victims properties are spanish owned or foreign-owned.

michaleen oge

yes,it really depends on where you live. in my small village there is virtually no crime. a couple of years ago we were in the habit of leaving our decorative plant-pot with plant-of-the-day on our doorstep. it was robbed. the neighbours were scandalised. for a bit of a laugh,i put a note on the door which read(in spanish)-robbed,plant-pot,name of miguel. reward...one euro.
next day i opened the door to find a decrepit plant-pot with a dead cactus in it,left in place of my stolen one..the neighbours were amused!!!!!

Aussie30

I'm use to that in Adelaide where I am from! Back home live in a very affluent suburb on the coast of Adelaide & we can't leave anything outside without it getting taken! We had 3 huge potted plants taken one night, they actually came prepared with a trailer and everything! We also had car parts taken from our car port and were broken into!

Rotor

Spain appears safer , or maybe the police are hopeless but I`d bet geographicaly that the CDS/Marbella end has more than its fair share,

http://www.nationmaster.com/country/...gdom/cri-crime

http://www.nationmaster.com/country/sp-spain/cri-crime

cricketman

Woh nice site

Looks like in the UK you're more likely to be murdered, raped, kidnapped, assualted or have your car stolen. No burglary stats there, but I've seen somewhere else that there are more burglaries in the Uk than anywhere else.

While in Spain you are more likely to be robbed

That makes sense to me i.e. violent crime higher in the UK and personal robberies higher in Spain e.g. wallet and bag snatchers.

missile

Heard this story?

Man gets new refrigerator. Puts old one outside with motice
"IN PERFECT WORKING ORDER, FREE TO A GOOD HOME"

A week later he changed the sign
"IN PERFECT WORKING ORDER, 100€ TO A GOOD HOME"

and it was gone the next day

pete_l

Actually crime is going DOWN in the UK

However, fear of crime (due mainly to the obsessive reporting and glamourisation it gets in the media - nothin' sells copies better than a good murder ) is increasing
Same for property crime, too.