Stay Safe in Benidorm

HOW TO STAY SAFE IN BENIDORM

We often hear horror stories of people who have been robbed, conned or violated in some manner while on Holiday in Benidorm.  There are even those who set out to promote these stories in the claim they are trying to help.  In reality they are frightening people and misleading them.  They are not helping anyone.  They are destroying the image of Europe's most popular holiday resort.  Here are the facts that will help you to stay safe in Benidorm. 

What is it that creates an environment for pick pockets, con men and the like, to exploit us?  The answer is simple.  Large numbers of people with plenty of distraction. Holiday resorts, Markets, shopping centres, concerts and the like.  The very things that describe Benidorm to a tee. That is, large numbers of people all year round and we all know the amount of distractions available in Benidorm.

But let's look at the facts. (The facts will help you stay safe in Benidorm)

FACT Benidorm is Europe's most popular holiday resort.

FALSE Benidorm has the highest rate of crime in any Holiday resort in Europe.

FACT It is not even listed in the top 10

In reality, the chances of losing your hard earned savings to a pickpocket in Benidorm is much lower than in many other Holiday resorts. HOWEVER Here are a few tips to watch out for to stay safe in Benidorm, so we can decrease those numbers even lower.

Safety in Numbers. If you fortunate enough to be travelling with a group.  Stay with the group.  Pickpockets and muggers look for easy targets.  At football matches there are large groups of people with plenty of distraction.  But pickpockets are rare. Why?  Who in their right mind would walk into a crowd of testosterone fired men and attempt to mug one of them?  Keep with your friends, as much as possible.  If you do get separated get a taxi back to your hotel/apartment.

Check into your hotel on social media, so it’s easier to find at the end of the night

Set up a WhatsApp group to keep in touch with each other - or  download an app called "Life360". It allows you to locate friends (or a lost phone) within your group when you're on a night out.  Only the people in your group can see where you are - it's private, not public.

Keep an eye on each other’s drinks to make sure they don’t get spiked

Do not let a friend walk back to their hotel alone

Do not give a drunk person more alcohol

We can not re-iterate this enough, If you come in a group stay in a group, do not drink so much that you put yourselves in a dangerous situation, DO NOT go wandering off without at least telling someone where you are going and who you are with.

Know the name of the accommodation you are staying in so if you need help getting back some one can assist you.

We know you are on holiday but safety should always come first before drink and a "good" time.

Every single weekend we are getting "missing persons" posts, thank goodness most are not really missing as such but have just wandered off and don´t know where they are staying.

Please be sensible you would not do this sort of thing back in the UK so certainly DO NOT do it in a strange country

Do not walk home alone, especially if you are a bit under the weather. People who are drunk cannot defend themselves very well.  They become the easy target.

Do not carry unnecessary (wear) valuables that can create temptation to the thieves. The higher the reward, the more risk they will take to get it.

Beware of friendly strangers. Props at bars will carry identification.  No identification, Walk on.

Beware of distraction by touch. A pickpocket will often try to distract you by touching you.  When you become aware of a touch on your shoulder, you do not feel a hand in your pocket.  Typical examples, someone pretends to brush dirt off the back of your shirt (the Stain, see below) or to fix your collar.  Another one is to place their leg between yours and jiggle their leg about like it is some sort of a joke.  You stand confused while they empty your pockets.

The Stain - Be aware of this con, a pickpocket will unbeknown to you spray you with a substance, generally it will be green (pasty liquid mixed with green ink) to look like bird excrement, they will then point this out to you and offer to wipe it off for you, using this as a distractions to rob you of your gold chains etc.

Ladies either do not take a handbag out with you or carry your handbag in a manner where it cannot be easily grabbed. Do not leave it sitting on the chair beside you in restaurants etc.  Unless of course you can run exceptionally fast in high heels to retrieve it.

Men - DO NOT have items in your back pockets, they are far too easy to lift without you feeling a thing.

DO NOT have valuable items in your jacket pockets, such as mobile phones, keys, wallets, passports etc and then casually hang it over the back of a chair and wander off, this is easy pickings and a prime target for any thief.

Only take out what you need for that day or night, leave the rest in the safe, have a copy of your passport and your EHIC card with you.

Stay Safe in Benidorm

PEA MEN These are con men and most of the crowd around them are part of the gang. Between Players, Watchers and Look outs, not to mention the pickpockets in the area.  There could be as many as 30 of them in the same team.  DO NOT STOP.  KEEP WALKING.  The best way to put these people out of business is to take away their customers.  However, trying to warn others could be very dangerous.  The person you are warning could well be part of the team.  PLEASE KEEP WALKING, read more HERE

Stay safe in Benidorm

MEN DO NOT get involved with the street prostitutes.

Street Beggars - While there are a number of genuine homeless people in Benidorm there are also a lot of scam beggars in operation including the infamous disabled man who has then been seen walking and driving a Mercedes.  Please do not give money to them unless you are 100% sure.  If you want to help then better to make a donation to a homeless charity or charity shop.

Finally avoid dark quiet streets. Most of Benidorm´s dark quiet streets are perfectly safe.  What thief wants to sit in a street no-one walks up, in the hopes someone, who comes under the easy target category, might show up one night.  However some of these streets can be well known shortcuts to the beach etc during the day.  Strangers to the town may well use them at night as well.  If you know Benidorm, you will know which streets are safe.  If not, play safe and stay in the busy well lit ones.

Carrying your Passport as ID

It is mandatory in Spain for you to be able to identify yourself, the police can stop you at anytime and ask to see some form of photographic ID.  As UK citizens do not have ID cards then this can be done by showing your passport or a valid picture driving license.

You must provide photo ID if requested by a police officer. This includes the Guardia Civil and national, regional and local police forces. The police have the right to hold you at a police station until your identity is confirmed.

Ignoring direct requests or challenging a police officer may be viewed as ‘disobedience’, which is a criminal offence.

Hotels have a legal duty to register the passport details of tourists on check-in. Wait until the hotel staff have registered your passport details or taken a photocopy of your passport. Don’t leave it at reception to collect later.

We do not suggest you carry your passport around with you, this should be kept in a safe place but a notarised copy of your passport is also a valid document and will get you out of immediate trouble, but you may still be asked to provide the original at a later date at the police station

MOBILE PHONES: Be careful how you list your personal numbers.

Mobile Phone safety Tips

After a lady had her handbag stolen (Not here in Benidorm) which contained her phone, credit card, wallet, etc. . . . . . 20 minutes later when she called her husband, from a pay phone telling him what had happened, he was astonished and told her . . 'Oh gosh.. I received your text asking about our Pin number and I've replied a little while ago.' When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen phone to text “hubby” in the contact list & got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.

a. Do not disclose the relationship between you & the people in your contact list. Always avoid using names like Home, Missus, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mum, etc.
b. And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, do not respond BUT immediately CONFIRM by calling back.
c. Also, when you receive a text unexpectedly from friends or family asking you to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you.

If you are unlucky enough to be a victim of a crime, please report it to the police and use the SATE office to help file a police report if necessary. More help and advice HERE

You will find a list of emergency numbers HERE

You will also find lots more information on all aspects of crime HERE

Join our Facebook Group for more help with staying safe in Benidorm 

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