BREAK IN KALKAN

[chris]

HI ALL
I have some bad news i have just been informed that our whole apartment block
has been broken into .all 5 apartments have had the front doors kicked
dont know yet what has been taken . the jandama  have been there all day
however i do belive we are not the only ones .
so if you have someone who looks after your home i would get them to just do a check
i will be finding out more tommorow so will update
chris :

Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=2965.0

[Enjoy Kalkan]

Sorry to hear that Chris,
Which apartment block is that

[chris]

Hi JON
It is the one by saneil complex  in fact it is in between the 2 complexs  it was one of the first up the hill to be bulit
. i thought it would be better to warn fellow home owners  as it is very upsetting as i belive they have kicked all the front doors in
hopefully this message will get to the other forum members .
many thanks
chris

[kim21]

Whereabouts are the saneil aparts?

[kalkanbelle]

I have just been informed that our villa has been burgled but we are not sure exactly what has been taken.  We do know that our clothes and other personal possessions which we keep at the villa and which were kept locked in a cupboard were ransacked and that jewellery (not worth a lot but of sentimental value) and other personal items have been stolen.  We feel terribly upset as even though we had heard that some burglaries had taken place recently you never think it will happen to you.   It''s ironic as we have just bought an intruder alarm to have fitted when we are next over in June but it is a bit late for that now. 

The way I am feeling at this moment is that the little piece of paradise that we so love and cherish is now tarnished and the long awaited holiday that we were so looking forward to will merely be a time of putting things right and assessing the damage and loss.  I feel quite sick to think that these criminals can cause so much upset for so little gain and I sincerely hope that something will be done to catch them and bring them to justice.  Sadly, and I can only speak for myself, Kalkan is not the safe place I once thought it to be.

[Kalkan regular]

Hi Kalkanbelle. Was your apartment in the same block as Chris or is it in a different place? Sorry to hear about your problems. I think from other sites that breakins have been happening in other towns such as Fethyie so perhaps it is a mobile group of thieves.

[kalkanbelle]

Our villa is on the Palm Estate a short distance behind the Asfiya Hotel where there are around 10 or 12 villas.  Some of them are occupied all year round so the burglars were really taking a chance if they made some noise in breaking in.  As it has only just happened we have not had a chance to contact our neighbours to find out if they heard anything or what time it may have occurred.  We are also waiting to hear if the jandarme have been notified.  All in all it is very distressing and the worst thing is being so far away and not knowing exactly what has been stolen or the extent of the damage.  If I have any more news I will post it.

[rat2]

Sorry to resurrect this topic but, if you''re not already aware, there has been a spate of very recent burglaries in Kalkan, the several I''m aware of being in the school area. I don''t know whether they''re local or visiting gangs but they obviously use intelligence ''scouts'' as most robberies occur on the first night of guests'' stays when there''s likely to be more cash around. They''re usually interested in cash, jewellery, cameras and laptops. I''ve been told, but cannot verify that they have guns - the ones that robbed us 4 years ago certainly had.
So please be vigilant and advise your guests to take the usual precautions, in particular:

• don''t leave any doors or windows open in your absence at any time (burglars have even been known to rob properties while owners were in the garden/pool)
• lock bedroom doors at night
• lock valuables in a safe (they''re not covered by Turkish household insurance if you don''t)

If you''re an absentee owner, make sure your agent is doing their job properly (difficult I know) - I''ve just heard of an English-owned villa being occupied by prostitutes and their clients for the winter; it appears the jandarma were not in any hurry to remove them when it was discovered; we already know they seem uninterested in apprehending burglars.

[Enjoy Kalkan]

Hi Rat2

How recent are we talking? Since the last post on the 26th Feb?

[rat2]

Yes, in the last few weeks.

[Alabalik]

There were also two break-ins on Sunday night in Kisla.   I know that in one the owner was asleep in the house when they broke in, first cutting the alarm wires.  I believe they stole cameras and laptop.  We live in Kisla too and they did try to get in through our kitchen window but we have strong bolts and they did not have success.  We were also in the house and heard nothing.  I was told that they caught the thieves but this has not been confirmed.

Ness

[Cosetta]

I know this is very discomforting, but if it is any consolation, I''m not aware of anyone being injured during a break-in.  If you should awaken and find someone in your room, the best is to pretend to be asleep.  As Rat2 says, many break-ins occur on the first night of guest arrivals because the thieves figure the guest is unaware and has left variables lying around.  Wallets, computers, cameras, etc.  Resalable items.

If you rent, it is advisable to warn your guests about break-ins and offer them some practical advice.  We have a written sheet of several categories of information that begins with security information.

Re security, we suggest to guests not to tell anyone where you are staying.  It''s no one''s business but the renter and guests have no idea who they might really be telling.  We advise them not to bring or carry a lot of cash.  If your guest opens a Nationwide Flex Account in the UK they don''t need to bring much cash to Kalkan. They can withdraw up to 600 lira daily from their UK account via any ATM machine in Kalkan with no commission charges, no atm charges and one of the best exchange rates (info courtesy of Lantana).  They should keep windows closed and if possible, locked.  If the bedroom door has a lock, use it.  Don''t sleep in the summer with windows open and just screens.  This is the most common type of break-in, cutting screens.

After our one and only ''walk-in'' via an open window several years ago, we now take the following precautions:

1) we have a commercial wireless alarm system with outside alarm bell.  Electronic eyes surveying rooms and doors. No wires to cut.  If the alarm rings, the system automatically dials a pre-programmed security number.  Telephone wire into house underground, unreachable.

2) All windows have locks and are locked during the day even when we are in the house.  Burglars do enter during the day if they see you are outside or far away in another room.

3) At night we also close all our window shutters (also locked) and lock our outside gates.

4) We lock our bedroom door.

A determined burglar can get through all that, yes.  But why bother when there are many easier targets? So the more obstacles you put in front of the thief, the less likely you''ll be broken into.

Re the ''prostitute party'' someone walked in on by accident, it is not the first time we hear this.  Make sure someone is checking on your house regularly and that no keys have been duplicated.  And perhaps more importantly, make sure that person checking on your house is reliable and trustworthy!

[kalkanbelle]

Cosetta
Thank you for the information and advice on how to prevent a break in but it only goes to confirm my fears that Kalkan is not the safe place it once was.  The fact that these burglaries are continuing and will no doubt carry on throughout the season unless something positive is done to catch the thieves is extremely scary.  How awful to arrive on holiday and be faced with a list of precautions to take such as bolting all windows and locking all doors even whilst you are at home or in bed is not a very nice thing to be faced with at the start of a holiday.  I think most people take sensible precautions when on holiday but having to go to the extent of not telling anyone where you are staying and locking yourself in your bedroom at night is rather extreme (although I am not denying the necessity). 

If this situation continues and nothing is done about it then sadly we may have to consider selling as we don''t need this kind of stress when we go on holiday.  It''s such a pity as Kalkan is a wonderful place but the fact that holidaymakers are the prime targets doesn''t make it a safe and secure place to relax and forget the stresses of life.  I am already apprehensive about our next visit as we were broken into in February and the thought of having to have alarms fitted and security bars and bury the telephone lines etc is really stressing me out.  Do any other apartment or villa owners share my concerns for the future if nothing is done about the situation?

[Cosetta]

Kalkanbelle, I assure you that most of not all resort areas around the world face this problem.  In our experience the police in all the Mediterranean countries where we''ve spent time and winters cannot control the problem. 

It is infinitely worse in Spain where we have an apartment.  In 2004 we rented a villa in Vence, France for 5 months over the winter.  When we arrived the very first thing we were told by the owner was to lock everything and be very careful as every single apartment and villa within a 2 miles radius had been burglarized, mostly by gypsies.  The villa we rented had been hit the winter before and everything, including clothes, passports and the people''s rented car had been taken.  That was France in a densely settled area having a regular, trained police force, something Kalkan does not have.  In Spain it''s worse.  In the highly unlikely event a burglar is caught in Spain, after about 1 hour in the police station he/they are let go. It happened to us.

So the most advisable thing is to take reasonable precautions rather than go elsewhere.

[kalkanbelle]

I see your point Cosetta and it''s awful to think that there is nowhere safe from thieves these days.  It''s just that when we bought our villa some years ago one of the appeals for us was that Kalkan seemed to be a very safe place.  Yes we did hear about the odd burglary but they only seemed to target unoccupied villas.  However, it stands to reason that now there are so many more apartments and villas and consequently lots more visitors the thieves will seize any opportunity they can.  It''s the fact that they will enter when you are actually there that I find the most frightening.  Yes we will take extra precautions from now on but I am still sad that things feel different now, having already been burgled, and I know I won''t be able to relax the same as I used to. 

[Enjoy Kalkan]

Just following on from what Cosetta says,

We have been burgled in the UK, my parents home in Spain was regularly broken into despite gates, security patrols etc, a friend has been broken into in France, my sister was broken into in Lanzarote..... Im sure you see what Im saying here - Im afraid Kalkan is, like anyway, going to suffer from crime - I think we should just be glad it seems much lower than in many other places.

If anything that fact a break in or crime related thread on a forum seems to spark such interest and debate puts this into proportion - Imagine if this was EnjoyLondon, EnjoyManchester etc! Ive not seen any anti terrorism raids in Kalkan recently 

[clarborough]

Where can we buy good window locks in Kalkan please?? I have been meaning to do this each time we visit and never got round to it. Sounds like its the first job on our next visit!!!

[onelove]

Well said John.......Its driving me mad, you would think Kalkan was in the wild west, its a real pity when there is just soooo much good stuff that could be written about this wonderful place called Kalkan.

[clarborough]

I agree KD its by no means putting me off I would just feel better with good locks on the windows rather than rely on the catches.

[Enişte]

I''ve tried to urge a sense of proportion on this site every time a crime is reported.  It must be truly awful for those involved and perhaps prevent them from ever feeling really comfortable where the crime happened.  I don''t think anyone anywhere will ever be able to prevent crime but only make themselves less vulnerable and reduce the threat.

One bit of advice to you all - please don''t follow Jon''s advice and compare Kalkan with other places.  I did so a few months ago and was firmly told that a certain part of London was far safer than Kalkan, simply because the person I replied to had not been aware of any crimes being committed there.  Wherever you all live, please be careful out there and take reasonable precautions.