Dear Sir,
HOW many of your readers experience problems of break-ins and theft from their properties in Majorca? How much of a problem is it really and is it being swept under the carpet? We have a detached property in the port of Pollensa and it has been broken into several times, this year; always the same thing, thieves who steal mobile phones, i-pods, cameras and wallets from unsuspecting tourists.
It's a problem because we always tell people to be vigilant, but if they are locking the house and putting major valuables in the safe, that should be enough when you are trying to relax on holiday. If we have to tell people to hide or put every single item of any value in a safe even if the house is locked, then I doubt they would want to come at all. The Police take a statement and shrug their shoulders as if its acceptable that this happens all the time and is not unusual. Many of the houses around are fortified with high fences, etcetera, but just how far should you go without making the house and surrounding area look like a prison camp.
Sure we can do it, but people won't want to come to that sort of environment anyway. Are the local police and Guardia Civil doing enough? Is it because they lack resource or is it they lack interest? Are we alone? Does anyone else in the area suffer regular problems? On the face of it seems the authorities are more concerned and commit more resource to traffic offences than crime.
That sounds rather familiar does it not?
Andy Wassall, by e-mail
When a home becomes a fortress