600% increase in aggressive robberies

After another incident where an elderly man was attacked by two strangers and had his Rolex watch brutally ripped from his wrist, we have to ask the question, “Are the streets safe?”

Are our streets safe?

First of all, nowhere is completely safe, but this type of incident has unfortunately been happening too often along the Coast del Sol. Criminals are not hard workers, and they will always go for the low hanging fruits. Sadly, they see the Costa del Sol as a place with good pickings.

There will always be petty crime where there are a lot of people: pickpockets, bag snatchers. It is a reality of modern life. We see this happening when the crowds of relaxed tourists arrive in the summer. Their bag is dipped, a car window broken if something is left inside. It is not always the value of the stolen article that is the problem, but the loss of documents, bank cards, and objects with sentimental value.

Valuable Jewellery

However, the trend of robbing people of valuable jewellery is a concern which has become more noticeable in recent years. This happens on the street, and normally with very rough treatment of the victim resulting in personal injury.

Insurance Broker, Sam Campbell, said, “From an insurance perspective, I am seeing less and less Insurance Companies wanting to offer cover for high end watches outside of the home due to these thefts which have been on the increase steadily for the last 5 years, with the last 2 years seeing an increase in “aggressive robberies” increasing by over 600%… My advice is be aware if your surroundings, the thieves are usually sitting at a table in a cafe or a bar watching and making notes. They are also known to be in Supermarkets too. Depressing as it is nowhere is safe from these people here in Spain or the UK.”

Stay Safe – take precautions

Mary Bryan, the wife of the victim praised the reception they received from the Guardia Civil. Her husband was taken to hospital to have his injuries attended to. Mary added, “My husband is not your average 73 year old. He’s a keen golfer and fit. He fought back and they beat him with a stick. I want to raise awareness of what is going on. If one person takes off their watch because of this, it’s an achievement.”

This latest incident needs to act as a warning to all of us to be extra careful with our possessions. Someone who has worked hard to buy an expensive watch should be able to wear it, but the reality advises us against this.