Although Nerja is generally a safe place with a low crime rate, bad things can still happen, as they do everywhere. Thanks to Mike for relating his recent unfortunate incident.
Hi,
Can you highlight for people please on your excellent website the increasing incidents of robberies at Lidl.We parked there recently, right in front of the store, in the middle of the car park, to do a quick shop, my mistake was putting my travel wallet into the hire car boot for safety not realising that the seats folded down. Someone must have seen me do this.
When we came out of the shop our rear car window had been smashed, the car boot accessed from inside the vehicle and my wallet stolen.
No one saw a thing (apparently!), upon re-entering the shop for help none was forthcoming, none of the staff even new the telephone number for the police. Luckily an elderly gentleman who spoke good English helped us. Just as well as the police had no one who spoke English and frankly were not interested in coming out to see the scene of the crime, instead instructing us (via kind gentleman) to attend their offices. During the police report stage I asked if there were other incidents at Lidl and the policeman said “Mucho”. Since I lost my passport along with a lot of cash I had the inconvenience of having to attend the Consular at Malaga, when he asked where my passport had been stolen and I answered Nerja he said “Lidl?”. He then went on to say that they never used to have any problems from Nerja but had received a lot recently nearly all around Lidl.
The kind gentleman was named Alexanda and stayed with us as an interpreter at the police station and would not accept a penny in reward for his efforts. He is the real face of Nerja but I do wish the police would get a grip on the undesirables using Lidl as a base to rob tourists.
Kind regards,
Mike Morley
Hire cars are an obvious target for thieves and scammers, always have been, but the best advice to everyone is not to leave anything valuable in the car, visible or not. Cars have even been broken into because something as simple as a pair of sunglasses were left on the dashboard or on a seat.
Thanks again to Mike for helping to make everyone aware, despite his own misfortune.
John Graham says:
Your advice re leaving articles in cars is valid but the point surely is that if there are problems at Lidl with theft one would expect both the supermarket & the police to make an effort to apprehend the culprits by installing cameras, having the police telephone number available & deterring thieves by a regular police presence.
Stuartnhilary says:
The local police should get there fingers out and get a grip of this situation and the local mayors office want to ensure that it is being done before it affects the towns tourist trade
Rob says:
The Local Police in Nerja, as is the case in many municipalities, have unfortunately been in turmoil, and therefore relatively ineffective, for many years now. Internal strife and political conflicts have been a continuing saga.
Seeing Local Police officers, except on the Balcón de Europa or when it is time to dish out a few parking tickets, is a rare thing these days.
In addition, the main duties of the Local Police, who are responsible to the mayor of a municipality, relate to local traffic control and parking violations. It is the National Police who are generally responsible for criminal investigations, and of course there is no National Police presence in Nerja.
Setting up CCTV cameras by the authorities is a long-winded, complex process which invariably ends in permission being refused or cameras having to be withdrawn. I seem to remember the Council trying, and failing, to have CCTV installed in Plaza Tutti Frutti.
The telephone number to report a crime should, of course, be publicised more and I agree, in this case – and probably many more – that the supermarket (or whoever it is) could and should do more.
You also have the strange situation that the theft of less than €150 is not considered a ‘crime’ as such, and even if perpetrators are caught red-handed they are likely to be back in the same spot within a couple of hours, if not sooner.
So, with an apparently understrength Local Police force in constant turmoil, no National Police and complex laws, I suppose we are unlikely to see any positive action in such cases, however unfortunate they may be, and we ourselves have to take every possible precaution to try and stay safe. It really doesn’t look as though we can count on the authorities as, so far, they appear to have done very little.
Larry says:
I would have thought it was the Guardia Civil, who have a presence in Nerja, who were responsible for dealing with this type of crime.
Barney says:
LIDL is notorious for this… there has been a problem almost from the day it opened … last month as I walked into the main entrance I noticed a car with a couple of young guys sat in the back – and across the passenger seat were strewn wallets, cards and suchlike … they had gone 5 minutes later when I cam out .. it could have been totally innocent but who knows ?
5yrs ago some friends of our were shopping there and having placed a youngster in the car seat was returning the trolley 20 metres away … a guy in a motorcycle helmet leant across the youngster to steal my friends handbag – terrifying the child … before speeding away on a motorbike. The whole episode took seconds.
sandra says:
At the end of the day this is a serious problem resulting in a very upsetting time
for people just doing there shopping. Its Lidl’s Car Park with Lidl’s customers parking in it, so they should accept some responsibility for not protecting there customers from crime that’s happening right outside there front door !!.
Maybe if people contacted or sent Letters of Complaint to Lidl’s Head Office in
Spain or there own countries mayyyyyyyybe they might do something. Or even something
as radical as a Security Guard !! anything that would work as a deterrent to protect people just doing there daily shopping.
Joy Chatters says:
Happened to me 12 years ago at Lidl in Torrox, so nothing new.
roho says:
Happened to me 12 years ago at Lidl in Torrox …..
Where did you find a Lidl store in Torrox TWELVE years ago???????
Mike Morley says:
Hi Sandra,
Some really good ideas in your post above. I have sent a complaint email to the address below, so please feel free to join in!
kind regards,
Mike
https://ssl.lidl.es/es/formulario-contacto.htm
The Captain says:
I drove past Lidl on Thursday and there was someone seated under a parasol at the entrance to the car park, presumably to keep an eye on the area. Good sign.
Mike Morley says:
It looks like we are getting somewhere
Dear Mr Morley,
Thanks a lot for your message.
We really appreciate your e-mail and we have already forwarded the information you have sent us to the corresponding management.
Yours faithfully,
Carmen Reichmann
Customer Services
Lidl Supermercados, S.A.U
Tel. 902.243.222
Fax. 93.576.18.15
Mail: [email protected]
sandra says:
Hi Mike,
That’s a great result hopefully your e-mail will go somewhere to
keep other people from having to experience such a distressing
time on there holidays.
Well done and I hope your next holiday will be a chilled out
relaxing time.
Regards,
Sandra