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CRIME

How to prevent a burglary at your home in Spain

Spain is generally a safe country but there are still tens of thousands of burglaries happening every year. Here are the best ways to prevent someone from breaking into your property in Spain.

How to prevent a burglary at your home in Spain
Photo: Steffen Salow/Pixabay

Burglaries and shop/business thefts actually dropped by 27 percent overall in Spain in 2020 compared to the previous year, according to the latest Interior Ministry figures.

However, it’s a bittersweet figure for the Spanish government as despite the lower rate of criminality during a year marked by everyone being locked up at home, 103,293 reported cases of breaking and entering were still able to take place.

recent study by Spanish insurance company UNESPA sheds some light on how burglars have been able to get around Covid-19 restrictions, and as result certain areas have seen an increase in burglaries.

The main conclusion they’ve drawn is that burglars – ladrones in Spanish – have taken their illicit business to the coast, especially Spain’s Mediterranean regions.

READ MORE: The places in Spain where burglaries have gone up during the pandemic

But regardless of where burglaries are happening more often in Spain, criminals all over the country find ways to exploit situations when homeowners let their guard down. 

The following is a list of tips from Spain’s Civil Guard police force and home security experts which will help you to prevent your home in Spain from being burgled.  

1. Don’t overshare on social media

Do not post pictures or messages relating to your holidays or time spent away from home until you are back home. A photo or a comment can contain essential information that burglars can use.

2. Check everything before you lock up

Give your home one last check before you head off. It may seem obvious but that means making sure doors and windows are properly closed and locked and that the water supply is turned off. 

3. Change the lock

If you’ve moved in to your apartment or house fairly recently, you may not have considered that the previous tenants or owners may still have keys to get in. Even if you know them personally, there is no way of knowing if they gave a key to a family member, friend or contact (even a builder or contractor if it’s a new build) who may be able to enter your home.  

It may be worth installing a reinforced or double lock system to put your mind at rest. 

4. No extra keys lying around 

Never leave an extra set of keys hidden in your letter box, under a flower pot, inside the electricity meter box, burglars will be quick to check these common hiding places.  

5. Watch out for this increasingly used trick by burglars in Spain

Spanish national police warned the public in early 2020 to keep their eyes peeled for this crafty trick being used by burglars in Spain. 

They place a small piece of plastic or a thread on the door in a position where it would fall to the ground if the door was opened. 

That way when they return after a few days, they’ll know if the door has been opened. In the event that it hasn’t they are far more likely to attempt to break in. 

Marbella is one of the places with most burglaries in Spain according to police complaints. Photo: Pixabay

6. Don’t fall for these new scams either

Burglars have become even more crafty as a result of the pandemic and lockdown, coming up with new ways to burgle or rob while everyone is confined to their homes. 

There are reports of scammers calling around under the pretence that they offer free door-to-door coronavirus tests or home disinfection, preying particularly on the elderly to rob them once they get inside. 

The burglars turn up dressed like medical personnel and offer up free face masks to dupe their vulnerable victims. A similar trick is being used by fake delivery services, who call around until they find the right victim, only to rob them once they’re inside the premises. 

Remember: there are currently no free door-to-door coronavirus tests and supermarkets will not call you to offer a delivery service unless you request it. 

7. Install extra security

This can help keep an eye out for the burglar technique mentioned above. Whether you enlist the help of a professional or you install it yourself, having security cameras which allow you to monitor what’s going on in your home while you’re away is very useful.

Prices range from €600 to €5,000 for a full surveillance kit. Bear in mind that there are laws relating to whether you’re allowed to film people on private or public property, and that you will have to put up a sign which states that there are security cameras. 

An alarm system to accompany will offer even more protection.

8. Make it seem like you’re still there 

A common mistake people make when they leave their homes is to overlook obvious signs that their property is uninhabited: blinds always shut, post box full to the brim, lights always off etc

So set a timer on some of the lights (and on the TV or radio if possible), if you live close by check on the property regularly and pick up the post. If you’re nowhere near the property, asking a neighbour or a friend to keep an eye out or to stop by on a regular basis is a sensible choice.

9. Beware of building works 

If you’re refurbishing your home and a scaffolding has been installed or there is another scenario which makes it easier to access the inside of your home, pay special attention. 

If you’re not staying at the property while the building works take place and it happens to be in a complex, a security guard or trusted neighbour should accompany any workers while they’re there. 

10. Pay attention to the garage doors

Burglars sometimes get into buildings through the communal garages that have doors on a timer, so check nobody creeps in before the doors close, for your sake and your neighbours’. 

11. Cooperate with neighbours

Whether it’s a case of befriending the family next door so you can ask them to keep an eye out while you’re away, or setting up a neighbourhood watch group on WhatsApp if there have been break-ins in your area in the past, close collaboration between community members is essential to catch burglars. 

If you do suffer a burglary in Spain, call the police on 091 if you’re in a city. If you live in a town or city where there is no National Police, call the Civil Guard on 062. Alternatively, you can also call Spain’s emergency number 112.

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CRIME

Dutch gang leader vanishes in Spain after accidental release

A top drug trafficker is on the run after accidentally being bailed from jail in Spain, officials said Tuesday, dodging a bid to extradite him to the Netherlands where his Mocro Maffia gang is based.

Dutch gang leader vanishes in Spain after accidental release

Karim Bouyakhrichan was arrested in January in Marbella, an upmarket tourist resort on Spain’s southern coast, along with five other members of the Mocro Maffia gang.

They are suspected of having bought 172 properties in Spain worth over €50 million ($53.5 million) to launder their gains from drug trafficking.

But the following month a court in the southern city of Málaga decided to grant him provisional release with judicial supervision, against the wishes of public prosecutors and the Spanish government. Judicial sources said Tuesday his whereabouts are now unknown.

“It is worrying news,” Justice Félix Bolaños told a news conference following a weekly cabinet meeting when asked about the case.

“I can’t comment on any court decisions, but I do trust that the state security forces will bring this person to justice as soon as possible,” he added.

The Málaga court said in its ruling granting Bouyakhrichan provisional release that the risk that he would flee could be avoided “with other less burdensome security measures” than pre-trial detention.

It imposed bail of €50,000, took away his passport and ordered him to report to the authorities twice a month.

Dutch extradition bid

At the same time Spain’s top criminal court was processing a request for Bouyakhrichan’s extradition to the Netherlands, where he is wanted for large-scale drug trafficking.

But it postponed its extradition proceedings because the Málaga court intended to put Bouyakhrichan on trial first for money laundering, court sources told AFP.

When the Netherlands provided more information to back its extradition request, the top court summoned him to testify and when he failed to appear a fresh warrant for his arrest was issued.

Vincent Veenman, a spokesman at the Dutch public prosecutor’s office in The Hague, said it was “unknown” to them why Bouyakhrichan had not been detained for extradition.

“We are currently awaiting a decision on the extradition request,” he added.

“Our experience with the Spanish justice system is that this cooperation is generally good. Dozens of suspects are handed over every year.”

Bouyakhrichan’s brother Samir, another leading member of the Mocro Maffia, was murdered in 2014 near Marbella, sparking a reorganisation of organised crime groups in the region.

The Mocro Maffia made international headlines in 2022 after it emerged that Dutch Crown Princess Amalia had been placed under heavy protection in response to fears of an attack by the group.

Dutch media reported earlier last week that the 20-year-old heir to the Dutch throne studied in Madrid after being forced to ditch plans to live in student accommodation in Amsterdam because of the threats.

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