I think I know what robbed means thank you

Not sure that i said it was isolated to Benalmadena. I said 7 close friends and also my wife had been robbed in the Malaga,Torrmolinos and Benalmadena areas over the last 6 months in a variety of locations.My definition of being robbed is someone removing your possessions without your consent. These were Bag snatches from the shoulder, items from the car whilst loading up, Wallet /Purse removal from the person, slitting the back of a back pack
I thought this was a high number as to my recollection i can think of only a couple of people we know personaly who have been robbed in this fashion in the past 55 years whilst we lived in the UK north
I had hoped to ascertain from the site the scale of the problem ,areas to avoid etc but clearly some people are more interested in the symantics rather than trying to do something about it.But isnt that just life today why bother you cant do anything about it!!!!!

Hey come on this happens everywhere....
They follow you and watch for you to make a mistake.
Take as little with you as you need.
Do not carry a bag over your shoulder.
Keep the car doors shut and just load the boot.
Don`t wear a back pack it makes you look like a tourist and a target, especially on your back, if you have to use one keep it on your chest, .
If you go in a crowded place keep your hand on your valuables.
What chance have the police got hours later if you didn`t even catch them when you were being robbed ?

Thanks for the advice i will be more carefull in future.

Oh come off it, if you knew it or not you were scaremongering.
I'd rather do something about the fear of crime which is far worse than crime itself. You don't know anybody who has been robbed. You know 7 people who have been the victim of theft. I am sorry that they have been the victims of crime. It's right that you flag up the problem of theft in a part? But what preventative measures did they take?

and clearly the local locksmith knows it too.

I think if you read the origonal message you would see that i was asking for others who had suffered the same fate to share their experiances.If there were many i would have been prepared to highlight the problem through newspapers or similar, maybe a petition delivered to the main police station in malaga.? Clearly from the lack of responce there aint many or even any so everything is hunky dory. We 7 represent the total crime statistics of THEFT within the Malaga area this past 6 months strange we all live in the same village or area. Do you have a theory on that?
So scaremongering no but if i was warned of lets say 10 people having their belongings stolen in say XXXX store then maybe i might choose not to shop there and maybe i might just go somewhere else.
I thought the purpoes of this type of site was to inform, share and assist people who move here ,clearly not "YOU BE CAREFULL OUT THERE"

No I dont know anyone who has suffered a similar crime around here

I find it incredible that someone can be "robbed" in Carrefour. Apart from the security men that are there its not a particularly shady place ... all well lit and bright. Must have been very unlucky.

In Spain always have had thieves, as in any place of the world. But before is not as now. Now is by blame of this incontrolated immigration of south america people, the magreb and the east of Europe. Now there are new phenomenons that never before had been seen, after that the the politics left the completely open doors and without control to people of these countries, a politics that in its day (when the PP governed) not demanded papers to all this people, and this politics follows it applying the government of Zapatero I " the illuminated "

Because before they were simple " chorizos ", they rarely stole, and when they made it, it was always when the owner or the family was not in its housing. With stealing a radio, a television, etc, was enough. But now, this gives fear. And are phenomenons that people of other countries have brought, mainly south America and the countries of the east of Europe: Latin kings; organized groups (of rumanian, kosovares, albanian, or south american); rumanian gipsy children that steal in organized way, etc etc etc

I am not lying and I believe that anyone of you that has lived for many years in Spain will have noticed this difference. It is that I believe that this would notice it until the silliest

You do see people in all supermarkets who are 'ASKING FOR IT' they go round with open bags, hang them on the hook at the back of the trolley, then leave the trolley unattended while they get things from a shelf. All of these are a great attraction to thieves, and they do know that many tourists carry ALL their valuables, money, phones, credit cards etc with them at all times. Many people do seem to forget to pack their commonsense when they come out here, that's what makes these areas popular with the sneak thieves, in the same way that holiday destinations and holiday makers are targets in the UK. There are organised gangs from eastern Europe, northern Africa as well as locals Spanish ones, and there are similar gangs in the UK.

As a UK Immigrant/migrant myself,i dont think i can realy object to anyone else coming here,its a wonderful place to live. I do agree that the people you describe do tend to fit the problem in the malaga area The problem in the malaga area is that the police do nothing about it , they know the areas where these people operate, the gangs and individuals. A bit of effort concentrated on the more high profile individuals this would reduce the problem and save so much time for the police sat in police stations churning out denuncias

The security guards are there to stop you walking out with the property of Carrefour. When we asked them to look at the Cameras they said they did not even work. They were very good at looking sorry for you but were not allowed to even walk around the store to try to recognise the guy,s
Yes it is bright well lit and inviting its a supermarket a place where you should be reasonably free to go about your business.Yes we are extreamly carefull now .We were extreamly carefull then but "they" because my wife with 20/20 hindsight can remember exactly how it happened. He asked her a question in English allthough he was of east european origin from the accent, distracted her, his accomplice opened her bag on her shoulder how i do not know and removed her purse and shut it again we did not know it had even happened until we got to the check out.

so how did you get robbed?

See above mesage Mitzyboy

But it doesn't say how.