# Is Spain dangerous? (house robberies,etc.) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 15, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571 "2021-10-15T23:36:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JakeRS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2021, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/1 "2021-10-15T23:36:27Z")
There is a map of robberies in Europe per 100k people based on Eurostat data and while most countries go from 20 to 40, in Spain it’s an extreme 140! ( [https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/q7wees/european\_robbery\_stat/](https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/q7wees/european_robbery_stat/) ) At one point I daydreamed about life in Spain and I looked at hundreds of house ads in Spain just for the sake of it, and at least 1/5 of houses had iron bars on windows. I live in the Balkans, which westerners consider unsafe, but I’m not sure if I saw 5 houses in my entire life with iron bars on windows in either Serbia, Greece or Montenegro,etc, yet in Spain it seems like an almost normal thing. So basically, is Spain that dangerous when people have to literally put iron bars on windows? The ads I looked at are by the way in Alicante region, which is among the richer tourist ones populated with thousands of western expats, so if any region should be safe and policed, it should be that one. Pickpockets which often go to tourist places are one thing, but house intruders are a whole different level. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2021, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/2 "2021-10-16T20:54:51Z")
There are so many second homes in Spain that are left unoccupied for long periods of time, I wonder if that is the reason for the bars on the windows. I’ll note that Belgium and the UK have robbery rates at or near Spain’s. These kinds of maps are often inaccurate because different countries often count and classify crimes differently than their neighbors do. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2021, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/3 "2021-10-16T21:18:23Z")
I don’t know, but I’ve recently walked across Spain alone, often walking while it was still dark, with a backpack I left unattended when I went into cafes or waited for a hostel to open, with no problems. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2021, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/4 "2021-10-16T21:43:16Z")
Spanish Revival style? Wrought iron, tile, woodwork. I would think less crime deterrence more architectural context. I really like an iron door/ storm door. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2021, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/5 "2021-10-17T00:07:11Z")
I’ve been to many places in Europe many times, and the one place my wallet was stolen was in the Madrid airport. ---
**Author:** ![alovem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@alovem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alovem)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2021, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/6 "2021-10-17T07:39:32Z")
Google Maps shows that barred windows are characteristic of residential property in Spain, even in towns and villages. Elsewhere, they’re common in cities from Lisbon to Ankara, but in towns I’ve seen only a few examples in Turkey. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2021, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/7 "2021-10-17T09:18:54Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I’ve been to many places in Europe many times, and the one place my wallet was stolen was in the Madrid airport. Yep. Madrid airport, touristy places in and around Madrid, CDG international airport in Paris, and the Paris subways are prime places to have wallets, cellphones, and other portable valuables stolen. OTOH these petty crimes are offset by the fact that violent crimes tend to be lower in Europe than in the US on average. Europe is far less plagued by violent robberies, gun violence, mass shootings, etc. ---
**Author:** ![JakeRS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ab097/32.png) [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2021, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/8 "2021-10-17T10:28:23Z")
Yes, that’s the point of my question, why are they a characteristic of residential properties? I seriously doubt most people want to have iron bars on their windows, especially on otherwise modern houses where it absolutely doesn’t fit aesthetically. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2021, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/9 "2021-10-17T13:42:49Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I’ve been to many places in Europe many times, and the one place my wallet was stolen was in the Madrid airport. When my daughter was traveling to Europe I told her that I’d heard that Madrid was the pickpocket capital of the world. Sure enough, on Day One in Madrid she had her phone lifted. mmm ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2021, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/10 "2021-10-17T15:21:09Z")
I thought this BBC article was interesting when I read it. Apparently there’s a cottage industry in removing squatters who hold properties for ransom. > **[The hard men removing squatters in Spain](https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-58310532)** > > Some squatters in Spain demand cash before leaving - so eviction firms have arisen to handle the talks. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2021, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/11 "2021-10-17T16:03:24Z")
I 100% believe you. I am just surprised at crime IN the airport. One would think the airports are super-secure places with loads of cameras and security. If I was a petty criminal (pickpocket) I think it would be the last place I would want to operate. Guess not. (No one expects the Spanish inquis…pickpocket!) When I was in Madrid I was not victimized by crime but I remember walking through a park at late dusk (which got dark more quickly than I thought…I misjudged how far the walk was) and was surprised seeing a lot of people doing heroin in the park. I have seen that before but this was a lot. Not as in millions “a lot” but like every 100 feet someone was shooting up. My wife and I walked faster. (we were not accosted though…probably lucky about that) ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2021, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/12 "2021-10-17T16:29:01Z")
When I travel I carry my wallet in my left front pocket of my pants or inside a zippered pocket in a jacket I occasionally wear. When I do this I carry some folded up paper in my right rear pocket so I have the feeling of my wallet being where I normally carry it. March of 2020 my wife and I were flying out of the Burbank airport. It is very small compared to most airports. I took a seat at the terminal and something felt off. Yep, my wad of folded up paper was gone. I then remembered someone bumping into me when I went through security. I figured someone lifted my wad of paper. Went back and looked, saw the paper on the floor near where the guy bumped into me. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2021, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/13 "2021-10-17T22:46:43Z")
> [@JakeRS](#): > > Yes, that’s the point of my question, why are they a characteristic of residential properties? > > I seriously doubt most people want to have iron bars on their windows, especially on otherwise modern houses where it absolutely doesn’t fit aesthetically. Without any comment on crime stats, I think at least part of the answer is that in many parts of Spain, it’s been traditionally desirable to have windows that can remain open to the flow of air in a hot climate. Of course it’s a security adaptation, but it’s not always so much a way of securely closing windows as _securely opening_ them; the inward-looking central courtyards of Andalucian town houses are another solution to the same set of problems; you want air, but you don’t want to reduce security to get it ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2021, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/14 "2021-10-17T22:52:52Z")
> [@racer72](#): > > When I travel I carry my wallet in my left front pocket of my pants That’s exactly where my wallet was, before it was stolen. And the pocket was zipped shut. I had just arrived in Madrid, and had to cancel my trip and return home. ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2021, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/15 "2021-10-17T23:29:04Z")
It seems pickpocketing gangs were encouraged by the Spanish judicial system that regards the theft of less than 400Euros to be a minor misdemenour. Pickpocketing tourists was rife before Covid and the lockdowns. Now locals are the target and the authorities are starting to deal with the problem, maybe because witnesses are available to give evidence. Tourists have often returned home and are unavailable as witnesses by the time the case comes to court. > **[How crime levels in Barcelona have been affected by the loss of tourism](https://www.thelocal.es/20200806/without-the-tourists-barcelonas-pickpockets-have-been-forced-to-change-targets/)** > > With few tourists in Barcelona, criminals are targeting locals—but there may actually be a silver lining, writes Jennifer Creaser. Criminals tend to specialise in a particular type of crime. Pickpocketing gangs are sometimes quite mobile and target one tourist city after the next. It usually takes a while for the local police and judiciary to get their act together and deal with the problem. When it gets too hot, they move on. In Barcelona it seems they settled there because there was no great pressure on the authorities to deal with the issue until Covid created a dearth of tourists to target. House breaking and burglaries are another matter. I suspect the Covid lockdowns have also had an effect on this type of crime, with householders not going out to work and leaving their homes unattended. Crime is often very localised, so the best information is going to be the local community or police. There are plenty of English speaking ex-pats in Spain and they have their websites that are often a good source of information. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2021, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/16 "2021-10-17T23:41:06Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > That’s exactly where my wallet was, before it was stolen. And the pocket was zipped shut. Someone unzipped your front pocket and removed the wallet without you noticing? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/17 "2021-10-18T02:04:22Z")
> **[Venturesafe X Anti-Theft Hip Pack](https://pacsafe.com/products/venturesafe-x-anti-theft-hip-pack)** > > Fanny pack or bum bag (call it what you will), this hip pack is useful. With multiple pockets, including room for an iPad mini, robust construction, and more. This, locked except when at the ticket counter. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/18 "2021-10-18T02:32:32Z")
When my mom went to Spain at the airport she noticed that her purse that had been carrying tight by her side the entire had both the exterior zipper and the interior zipper opened up at some point when she was still carrying it. Nothing was stolen but she thought they probably didn’t realize there were two zippers and opening the second zipper ate up all the time they would have normally used to just steal something after the first zipper. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/19 "2021-10-18T04:00:21Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Someone unzipped your front pocket and removed the wallet without you noticing? Yes, they saw me withdraw money from an ATM and put it in my wallet, then waited until I was distracted by studying the subway map. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2021, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571/20 "2021-10-18T09:40:41Z")
Note that the map stat in the OP specifies robbery as physical theft from the person (ie pickpocketing or mugging), not house burglaries. As for bars on windows, this has been a common form of security in a few places in Southern Europe for centuries - they are common in parts of Italy too. I’ve always assumed they’re a hangover from before decent window locks and air conditioning existed, and have persisted as an architectural feature out of habit as much as anything else. Shutters perform a similar function, they just look prettier (and help keep rooms cooler, obviously). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spain-dangerous-house-robberies-etc/952571.md?page=2)