Updated July 4, 2006.
According to Que
Madrid (July 4, 2006), crime was down by 35% in the first
trimester in Madrid, and the truth is that there is more security
out there these days, but keep your eyes open in the centre
of Madrid. Prologue
In 13 years in Madrid, I haven't been robbed even once yet.
Though, perhaps I've come near to it. Madrid is safer than most
places in the world, but there are a few problems. Here they
are:
Pickpockets
There are some real pros working any and all of the crowded
tourist areas in Madrid. According to an article in Qué
(Feb. 15, 2006), there are two main bus lines which you have
to watch out for: the 27 and the 34, especially at rush hour.
I've been reading story after story over the years about how
these guys work and, let me tell you, whenever I have to ride
either of those lines, I watch anyone near me like a hawk. Pickpockets have several techniques to rob you. One main technique
is to take advantage of any "funnel" points. For example, they
might block the exit door on the bus so you have to squeeze
by and when you do, get whatever they can. (I was targeted at
the Rastro by a group of 6 or 7 people using this technique
at a point that got really narrow. I was walking along and suddenly
found myself squeezed up by a group of people that felt me up
all over. I had my wallet in my sock, but it doesn't matter,
they could just have easily gone down on their hands and knees
and gotten it in a flash.) Another is that they'll watch people
(perhaps before they even get on the bus) to see where they
keep their wallets and mobile telephones so they know where
to find them. (If you're the "un-worried" kind that
likes to carry their purse or bag wide open behind them, you're
sure to be targeted. My wife once had her backpack emptied out
as she walked along by a group of gypsies who actually got cocky
with her when she caught them and complained.) Another is that
they'll carry a jacket or coat over one arm to hide what they're
doing with the other. (I've been targeted in the Plaza Mayor
using this technique as some of the access points are a bit
narrow. My brother-in-law caught the guy just before he was
going to act. I had no idea of what was about to happen.)
One thing you can do is to get a special wallet that goes inside
your clothes up against your body. Another thing you can do
is to carry a dummy wallet with some spending money, just enough
for you to get by with and not have to pull the other one out
in public. Another is to carry your belongings in front of you
where you can see them.
The best thing to do is not to carry too much around and not
to look too rich. (By the way, there are companies out there
telling their employees to dress down a bit because of this
type of problem.) But, just the fact that you look like a foreigner
will make you a target. I should say, though, that I haven't
actually been robbed since I got here in 1993. However, I hardly
ever go out at night (I'm married, etc.), I stay away from bad
areas of town and I run away from trouble.
I should also say that the pickpockets themselves can look
just like your grandmother, but that they can work in teams
with others. If you actually get pickpocketed, be aware that
you might be up against more than one of these guys and you
may find yourself face-to-face with a knife if you go after
them yourself. Nowadays, all too many people around here are
ending up getting stuck with a knife for my taste.
They're dropping like flies. El
Mundo Somebody I know was on his way to work yesterday morning
from his house out in the suburbs and stopped into a gas station
which had police officers all over the place. It seems the attendant
had found a body with a bullet hole or two in it out back. It's
the third body in under 24 hours that they've found.
So, when I talk to Spaniards I say: "maybe I'm overreacting
a bit, but it seems to me that things around Madrid are just
a bit more dangerous. Does it to you?" Invariably, I'll
get a nice long
worried chat on how things have changed. The people I know say that now when
they go out at night, they're extra careful and when they go
down to the parking garage in the mornings, they look around
more in the shadows.
There's another new trend lately, which is to move out away
from the center to the suburbs or "dormitory" towns
on the outskirts of Madrid. I think that a lot of this is driven
by people's reaction to the incredible amount of new immigrants
that are moving into neighbourhoods in the center. Reports like
these serve to illustrate why this is happening:
Madridiario.es
- Robberies up by 20% in 2005. According to this Madridiario
report on 3/2/06, the centre of Madrid is by far the most dangerous
place to live in at 44,000 + robberies and crimes in 2005 (though
these don't include those that weren't reported, obviously).
It might well be because it's the main tourist area in Madrid.
In a related report today in local daily Qué,
neighbourhood associations in Latina, the neighbourhood area
directly south of Puerta de Sol, complain that it's dangerous
to go out at night. If you're coming here to live for a spell,
you might want to check out the neighbourhood you'd like to
live in at night. It may look a whole lot different from what
it looks like during the day.
However, I should point out that the conservative press is saying that Madrid is still safe.
The ironic thing about this trend of moving outwards to escape
immigrants isn't working altogether because some of those "ill-mannered
immigrants" are following these "suburbinites"
out to their homes and robbing them. What's more is that it
seems that these robbers prefer people to be in their homes
when they come calling so that they can get the information
on where the safe's hidden more quickly. (Last week one family
in the Sierra was threatened with the robbers cutting off their
child's ear if they didn't come clean with where the money was.)
The week before last a star pistol marksman shot and killed
two robbers and his entire neighbourhood stood 100% behind him
in celebrating the feat. It seems many "suburbanites"
are fed up with all the robberies and they're happy to see those
criminals get their "just rewards."
In fact, I would say that though Spaniards are getting more
and more irritated all the time by the growing insecurity, that
they have not yet reached anywhere near the extreme level of
mass hysteria Americans have to suffer through. For example,
when I joke around that I see the potential for a huge black
market developing in Spain for guns for Spaniards to protect
themselves in their own homes, they look at me as if I were
some sort of alien and shake their heads "no" and
look as if they were considering the idea for the first time.
But, I think that more radical elements within this society
are taking action. Just this past weekend, for instance, a "skin-head"
type attacked and killed a 17 year-old Columbian in a park.
Some people think it's gang related, though this particular
case might not be. However, there are a lot of new gangs of
the "import-variety" popping up all the time and they
are, in fact, extremely violent. It's yet to be seen whether
the likes of "Cortes," "Pizarro," and "Franco"
himself are still to be found anywhere in Spain and what they
will do about it.
El Mundo article (Spanish)
La
Policia detiene... (Jan. 27, 2006)
It seems there are guys dressed up as cops running around on
the highways pulling foreigners over, flashing a badge and robbing
them. This article's about a couple of them. I hear stories
all the time about tourists to Madrid are targeted. My advice?
Don't walk around looking like a rich tourist with a confused
look on your face. It's like huge flashing banner saying: "I've
got loads of cash on me. Fool me or hit me and take it."
Safety for teachers giving private classes ....
I haven't had any problems as of yet, (thank God) as far as giving
private classes or with any strange occurrences with students, however
I have to say, when someone calls me for classes, especially private
classes, I do find myself automatically asking them a series of
questions to make sure they are "real" students and not just for
safety reasons either. I ask them where they work, why they want
classes and a bit about their "English-speaking" history. Most people
have a similar story and you can tell who is serious about studying
pretty much right off the bat. If they tell you where they work,
you can always do some detective work and check their story.
I must admit that I am reluctant to have male students at my
home, unless I know them. This is not to discriminate, rather,
despite the boxing classes I've taken, I don't think I really
stand a chance against a guy twice my size ... or half my size,
for that matter! :) I have done intensive courses with students
in my home and have always had a meeting with them in a public
place prior to starting the classes. I think that it is a good
idea to get their personal details, ID, phone number, etc, just
to have it on record. I would say that common sense is the most
important factor and if you are uncomfortable meeting in their
home or in your own home, maybe propose to hold the classes
at their workplace or in a public place like a quiet bar, etc.
Especially if you live alone. If you are not comfortable with
a student, you are not obligated to teach them, of course. And,
I find that once you get the ball rolling, most students come
from a reference from other students. You can stay on the safe
track by accepting only students with a reference or students
that want classes at the workplace. Does anyone have any comments
or questions? -Victoria (Post recovered from hacked forum.)
Safety For Students, too, Good points!
Not long ago a new female student requested somewhat apologetically
our initial interview take place in a cafeteria. Since then I always
make it a point to suggest it first to put the ladies at ease. Some
accept and, after a taste of my decidedly avuncular charm, feel more
reassured. Or so says my latest new student whose favourite flick
is Play Misty For Me. Brownies for our first class, and now carnations
and a bottle of Bailey's? My wife can't see the humour in this at
all.:? (Post recovered from forum. Author: dunno.)
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