BREAK IN KALKAN

[Enjoy Kalkan]

Not sure what you mean Eniste, perhaps you can explain?

Ive not given any advice?

[rat2]

EniÅŸte,

I think Cosetta and myself have kept things in proportion with regard to reporting and good advice; it seems to me that KD has not. I referred to a spate of about 20 burglaries in the last month and urged owners/visitors to take reasonable precautions for their own good. If I was letting my home (which I don''t) I wouldn''t bury my head in the sand and pretend that Kalkan was perfect - I would warn guests of the threat. Yes there are many good things to say about this beautiful place that is my only home, and there are as many threads on this forum as anyone wishes to start on which to do so. What sickens me is the paranoia displayed here when anyone dares to tell it like it is.

[Enişte]

Jon - I was only referring to your mentions of Enjoy London or Enjoy Manchester - someone from those fine cities will consider it a criticism!

rat2 - the mention of a need for proportion was not a dig at you or Cosetta, just a general plea.  Go back to last summer for some real kneejerk reactions.  You have indeed given some very sensible advice on how to protect your property and belongings.  As we have already seen, some will defend Kalkan almost blindly as a very safe place, while others, often the actual victims of the crimes, will have views that differ hugely from theirs.  The former category will often be seen to be (paranoically) brushing any criticism under the carpet, while others will be talking of a crime wave and suggesting expat vigilante groups, bypassing any local law enforcement activity.  I would suggest that there is a middle ground for us to consider.  There is room for those from both ends of the scale to see each other''s points and to continue to take reasonable precautions to reduce the threat of crime.  Just because someone has a different view to you or me doesn''t always make them wrong and it''s one of the benefits of a forum like this that allows us to see both sides and decide for ourselves.  In my opinion, for what little it''s worth, I have always found Kalkan to be a very safe and friendly place, more so than many in which I have lived, but would of course still not feel confident to leave my windows open when away from home.  I also know that my views would change greatly if I were to be the victim of a crime. 

It may not be Dibley but it certainly ain''t downtown Beirut/Bogota etc etc.  Fair?

[Enjoy Kalkan]

As a Manc I know what its like!

........ and EnjoyManchester isnt coming soon! 

[eskender100]

Easter in Kalkan saw us experience up close that Kalkan is not the perfect & safe enclave we believed it was as a break in through locked window saw us wiped out one night while we slept - cash, cards phones, ipods, camera the works- I hadn''t put everything in the safe & was cross with my self.  Jendarma pretty unless & uninterested & basically said "Oh well - you''ll be covered by your insurance" - They told us that break ins were very rare & they only get about 10 a year!! - From chatting to people walking past this was clearly not true.  So we commissioned attractive iron gates for the doors & windows (except 2 we were told were solid & it was unnecessary).
6 weeks later we returned for half term - so did the burgulars - my husband awoke to find them in our bedroom -he persued but did not catch him.  Not sure a big haul this time.
I do not want to harp on about the thefts in Kalkan, as I do appreciate that resort theft happens everywhere, what I do want some feedback/guidance on is why
1 - They lie about its prevalence ( The Jendarma captain didnt recognise my husband, despite thefts only being 6 weeks apart - surely if our 2 thefts accounted for 20% of the years total thefts - he''d be remembered!!)
2 - They have not interest in any detection of the criminals
3 - & Most importantly why are they are so accusing of the victims.  They kept asking us to justify why the thief had not stolen everything (clearly he was disturbed before he got everything) , why had my husband not caught him or thumped him (eh, hello, we were asleep), they even tried to insist that the shoes the thief had presumable taked off & left in the Olive grove behind us to ensure slient steps (but clearly didn''t have time to return for) were my husbands & definately not "turkish shoes"!!  This interogation was offensive & we were made to feel like we had made it up.
4 - What is the best way to keep them out - Are iron gates on ground floor enough - do we have to put them on upper floor balconies too??
5 - I believe there is never any violence involved in these break ins - is this correct or am I being nieve here - some postings refer to guns etc which I find very hard to believe.  Could the new Mayor actually publish some accurate statistics on the true level of crime to prevent wild gossip

[Hannah Smith]

We too had a break in on 11 May. A safe was stolen with cash but the biggest problem were the 4 stolen passports. The door(PVC) remained locked but had been forced open....The door now has with reinforced locks fitted. This was the second break in this year.The safe had been left open. So we assume they unscrewed the bolts at the first break in. Then came back+ simply walked away with it locked.

[rat2]

I believe there is never any violence involved in these break ins - is this correct or am I being nieve here - some postings refer to guns etc which I find very hard to believe.  Could the new Mayor actually publish some accurate statistics on the true level of crime to prevent wild gossip

I don''t know of any violence but the Jandarma assured me that the burglars who broke into our villa 4 years ago were armed with guns. When they were apprehended (far side of Antalya) it was because local police went to investigate some hooligans (our burglars) discharging their weapons in a drunken argument.
I very much doubt if the new Mayor will do as you suggest. What I find amazing is that people assume that reports of crime on this forum are ''wild gossip'' instead of taking reasonable precautions as suggested in several former posts. This forum is called ''Enjoy Kalkan''. Have you ever considered that those of us who live here (and apparently turn our noses up at tourists) issue reasonable warnings to residents and visitors alike to help them do just that - ''Enjoy Kalkan''? As I''ve said before and will never say again on this forum, ''you can choose to bury your head in the sand or you can listen to those better informed than yourself and heed good advice''.

[kalkanbelle]

eskender100 - How did they get in if you have gates and bars?  We were burgled earlier this year (see previous posts) and were thinking of getting gates and bars fitted but if they can get in regardless there doesn''t seem much point?  We are going to fit a sensor alarm and hopefully that will alert us if anyone attempts to break in whilst we are asleep.  It''s all very worrying as the jendarma don''t seem to do anything and I have only heard of one instance of thieves being caught.  Does anyone know what the new mayor''s views are on these thefts and if he has the power to do anything?

Is there an emergency phone number to call if you wake to find someone in your bedroom or on your property?

[clarborough]

Is there a part of town that they hit or is it widespread?? Do they avoid more busy areas and go for the quiet spots. Just wondered what kind of extra security we should install in a second floor apartment?? Sorry for the random questions but just like every other non resident property owner, resident and visitor I am worried about this.