burglaries

[idun]

I have just been talking to a friend in France and they are starting to worry about security in their property as they know quite a lot of people who have been robbed recently. Either people they know or these people's neighbours, families or friends.

 

Ofcourse there has always been the odd one, and often just around christmas, but I'm told that it is bad at the moment and a real concern.

 

Is it noticeably 'worse' anywhere else?

[Anton Redman]

Hard to tell if the problem is getting worse or we are simply hearing more about it but nothing is safe unless locked.

[cooperlola]

Like Anton, I'm not sure that one can really tell.  In 28 years in our previous house I had some tack stolen from my stables and our only neighbour had the radio nicked from his car.  In 7 years here we are yet to be robbed and nobody within a kilometre has to my knowlege either. But no doubt some thief will be round tonight, the way my luck is running!

[Val_2]

I find the local people here very complacent about security.They go out for the day or to work and leave windows open, ladders lying about, doors unlocked and stuff about in general. Thieving is getting worse in our region, just have to read the daily paper and the tribunal rulings to see the crimes.With a lot of of people out of work,they are coming out of the big towns and cities to rob isolated or open properties out here in the sticks more and more, especially druggies to fund their habits. I'm glad to have a dog, he at least barks if he hears so much as a piece of gravel move outside the house. Its a well know fact of life here in Brittany that brits steal from fellow brits and several have been caught red handed too!

[Sara]

Yes , as I have recently mentioned that since our local town has increased by 4,000 people in the last 9 years burglaries have soared. Our local paper is full of crime and tips on how to protect your house.

[idun]

They've been in that town for 29 years now and this is the first time that they have been worried.

Brits stealing from other brits ça c'est degueulasse! All theft is, but targeting one's own, well, even worse somehow!

[Val_2]

Its the perfect crime. What neighbour suspects another english vehicle visiting an english owned property when all they have to say is that they have been asked to keep an eye on the place. I know of one family robbed twice and the second time the brit registered Volvo estate was noticed by their neighbour but when asked about strangers he replied that he thought they were friends visiting! One other couple robbed a house and were caught trying to board the ferry at Roscoff by the gendarmes after being tipped off. If people get burgled, they should visit all the local depôt ventes as there is where the not-so-intelligent tealeaves try and sell their swag. The antiques shop in the next village had two garden statues stolen from their garden.The burglar only tried to sell them back to them a couple of weeks later and they recognised them by some damage,but apparently he was like a bungalow - nothing upstairs

[Georgina]

But you can't get cash from a depot vente for goods can you? I thought they pay you a cheque at the end of the sale and send it to your home.  So how can the burglars take it there?  Even if they did, they would be unlikely to use the local one

[Georgina]

NOw what I do see from time to time are those unmarked white vans and they come to your house and look into your garden.  But here the neighbours are always in, so that fails

[Patf]

There was an article about it in the Depeche a few weeks ago, that the number of burglaries has increased, mainly for jewelery. 

Evidently it's because the price of gold has rocketed recently.

I have hardly any jewelry, but took my one gold chain in to have a new catch recently and the jeweler confirmed this.

[Frecossais]

Our house in France has been burgled twice in 20 years, both times when we have not been there. It is an easy target being fairly isolated. The second time it was my OH's workshop that was emptied, sit-on lawn mower, power tools, even the lighting board on his trailer.

We lost out insurance-wise when that happened, because the workshop and barn where we keep things were well padlocked, but had no locks on the doors themselves.

Now we have a burglar alarm, and locks on our workshop (a former ecurie).

We thought we might know who one of the thieves was - a local shifty character. When he was shot and his body put down the well in his garden, the number of thefts locally went down dramatically. No, we didn't do it, his wife did.

[Gardian]

[quote user="Frecossais"] ............he was shot and his body put down the well in his garden ............  No, we didn't do it, his wife did.

[/quote]

There we are boys!  Never, never cross SWMBO.[blink]

[Pickles]

[quote user="Frecossais"]We thought we might know who one of the thieves was - a local shifty character. When he was shot and his body put down the well in his garden, the number of thefts locally went down dramatically. No, we didn't do it, his wife did. [/quote]

She'd evidently been watching "le bonheur est dans le pré" (the original film, that is, with Michel Serrault, Carmen Maura, Eddie Mitchell and ... Eric Cantona!)

Regards

Pickles

[Christine Animal]

[quote user="Georgina"]NOw what I do see from time to time are those unmarked white vans and they come to your house and look into your garden.  But here the neighbours are always in, so that fails
[/quote]

That's how dogs often disappear from gardens.

 

[NormanH]

"But you can't get cash from a depôt vente can you?"

Go to a receleur ...reseller   get it?

[Sara]

Georgina, yes that is the only reason why I like living in the village as we are surrounded by neighbours. This definately stops any white vans stopping, I often  see them  they slow right down and peer into your garden.. I would feel vulnerable living here in the middle of nowhere and going away for more than a few days. We often get gypsies knocking wanting to sell baskets etc... I am sure they are seeing who is in and who are out..?

Living in a bourg  has it's draw backs like noisy neighbours (my immediate neighbour was sanding again on Sunday until 20.30! [:@])

Sarah

[idun]

Sanding inside their house or outside? If outside, then ask them to stop or go and complain at the Mairie, there is always an arrete prefoctorale against nuisance noise, whether it be from neighbours or their dogs.

 

[Sara]

Outside, at first  near our back garden, where (when the weather is nice) we sit and eat. No I could complain to the Maire, but can't be bothered, I have other real problems. It's annoying but I am getting quite used to ignorant selfish behaviour, it is just the human race is n't it? we had similar problems in England, does n't get you anywhere by saying anything. They know they are over stepping the mark, but don't care and they won't change. Too make a huge racket on the last bank holiday Monday (digging up garden, with a loud digger)  says it all really. I will leave it up to the other neighbours to say something....

Although about a month ago (after a few glasses of wine) I spoke loudly to my husband that I was fed up with the noise  it was after 8 on a very sunny evening . It was the first nice evening for a while and was looking forward to sharing a glass of wine and talking to my husband. After 10 minutes the noise got too much and my husband went in (he spends his life on a forum, regarding his health. Writing letters and trying to help other people who need support) . My neighbours have retired from Paris and have a good understanding of English. They got the message loud and clear, they stopped immediately. I could hear them arguing over it, the women wanted to carry on but the husband was saying no it was too late . They then moved the sanding equipment it is now the otherside of their house next to the other neighbours. They still sand, whenever they want to. Basically as soon as the weather is nice they start. We can still hear it (still loud)  but it is not as intrusive. These neighbours I never see, we have a high walled garden (enclosed) and they drive out by the back lane, we tend to drive out by the road in the front. They like to keep themselves to themselves the same as us. C'est la vie......

[idun]

I haven't made these rules up. I have no idea as to what 'noise' regulations are in the UK, I suspect that there is no such thing, with specific times. Whereas in France these are pretty much the rules everywhere. And you should not have to put up with people ignoring them. Please remember that everyone knows these rules, it isn't as if people are ignorant about them, they are not. Mairie or Tribunal d'Instance deals with it all.

 

Les occupants et les utilisateurs de locaux privés, d'immeubles d'habitation, de leurs dépendances et de leurs abords, doivent prendre toutes précautions pour éviter que le voisinage ne soit gêné par les bruits répétés et intempestifs émanant de leurs activités, instruments, appareils diffusant de la musique, machines qu'ils utilisent ou par les travaux qu'ils effectuent.

A cet effet, les travaux de bricolage et de jardinage utilisant des appareils susceptibles de causer une gêne pour le voisinage en raison de leur intensité sonore tels que tondeuse à gazon, motoculteur, raboteuse, scie mécanique etc..., ne sont autorisés qu'aux horaires suivants :

• les jours ouvrables de 8 h 30 à 12 h et de 14 h 30 à 20 h

• les samedis de 9h à 12h et de 15h à 19h

• les dimanches et jours fériés de 10 h à 12 h

[Sara]

Thanks Idun, interesting,,,,

[idun]

Your Mairie will have the full list of these things http://www.ville-saint-aubin-les-elbeuf.fr/reglesdebonvoisinage.htm#bricolage like this one does, scroll up or down and see the rest.

I always found the way the population is dispersed in France to be very interesting. Clusters of a intense population. I once discussed this with a friend of ours and he said that the farmers would never dream of living or contructing on viable farm land. Calais sort of illustrates how people live, and how people do live in what I will describe as intensive houseing, for want of a better word.  We  would drive along the motor way, or the old RN and the land south of Calais  is sparsely inhabited. Then Calais in the distance and the houses  and appt, the ugly appts for the most part start suddenly and everyone lives hugging the coast in a fairly small area. The culture difference being that those huge appt blocks probably wouldn't have been built where I now live, but lots of housing estates instead and would start well inland from the coast.

As a huge % or the population live on top of one another, it is no wonder that such rules where noise is concerned. None of these rules means that one could make excessive noise all day long every day either.

People have work to do and noise is unavoidable, so for lunch it stops too as per the list at the top of the page and those are the homeowners hours, artisans are allowed more flexibility so that they can get on with their work, but they still have certain hours to respect, including lunch times. But then after 22h none and until 7am we are not supposed to make any noise at all that would disturb the neighbours.

 http://www.paris.fr/pratique/environnement/bruit/que-dit-la-reglementation/rub_10000_stand_17013_port_24987

 

[Quillan]

[quote user="idun"]

I have just been talking to a friend in France and they are starting to worry about security in their property as they know quite a lot of people who have been robbed recently. Either people they know or these people's neighbours, families or friends.

 

Ofcourse there has always been the odd one, and often just around Christmas, but I'm told that it is bad at the moment and a real concern.

 

Is it noticeably 'worse' anywhere else?

[/quote]

I think things are getting worse. Last year three or four houses were robbed whilst the owners were at a local funeral. Seems the thieves read about the funeral in the local paper then cruised around to see who leaves their houses to attend said funeral. This year we had a teenage stabbing in a local bar, not fatal fortunately. An owner of a motor home was stabbed last month several times but has survived, again fortunately. Over the last couple of months there have been four or five burglaries including our one and only auberge. Prior to that nothing much has happened round here, the odd bit of graffiti and a dustbin thrown in the river during the Tour de France one year. Over the last six or more months I have taken to locking my front door at night and closing the shutters, something I have never felt the need to do in the previous ten odd years we have been here.

[breizh]

I can only assume what has been commonplace in big towns and cities for many years is spreading out?

We live in a 3 floor flat, so not really an issue, as everyone is totally paranoid about letting anyone in the main door. Car-jacking, mugging, car crime, car torching etc seem very common. It's a affluent, middle class, Paris commuter satellite town. Probably akin to say, Weybridge. Sometimes it can seem more like downtown Kabul! Fortunately we're relatively young, and lived in some dodgy places, like Barcelona, so are pretty streetwise. We both been mugged a few times, but nothing serious.

Off topic, I always wondered how a Dwarf, who has been in charge of crime matters for nearly 10 years, as Interior Minister and President, can sleep at night. Crime is up 55% in that period in France. In all other OECD (UK as well I guess) countries it is down by (on average) 40%. He aslo have twice as many law enforcement officers as Germany , and more than 3 times the UK.

[LEO]

[quote user="Quillan"][quote user="idun"]

[/quote]

I think things are getting worse. Last year three or four houses were robbed whilst the owners were at a local funeral. Seems the thieves read about the funeral in the local paper then cruised around to see who leaves their houses to attend said funeral. This year we had a teenage stabbing in a local bar, not fatal fortunately. An owner of a motor home was stabbed last month several times but has survived, again fortunately. Over the last couple of months there have been four or five burglaries including our one and only auberge. Prior to that nothing much has happened round here, the odd bit of graffiti and a dustbin thrown in the river during the Tour de France one year. Over the last six or more months I have taken to locking my front door at night and closing the shutters, something I have never felt the need to do in the previous ten odd years we have been here.

[/quote]

Nice part of France!

[idun]

I daresay it's as 'nice' as anywhere else!