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Here's a recent article regarding the crime rate in Spain and the warnings from the U.S. Government.


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Madrid Hoteliers Upset by Warning
Mon Apr 1, 3:16 PM ET

MADRID, Spain (AP) - Hoteliers in the Spanish capital are accusing the U.S. State Department of exaggerating the extent of muggings and violent crime in the city and calling on it to withdraw a consular warning to American tourists.


Jesus Gatell Pamies, president of the Madrid Hotel Association, conceded in comments published Monday by the newspaper El Pais that increasing crime was "a very sad reality of some Spanish cities."

But he added that the warning published in February on the State Department's Web site was "excessive" and asked the United States to withdraw the report

Gatell Pamies said the higher crime rates don't pose a particular risk for American tourists, who account for about 20 percent of visitors to the capital, Madrid.

According to the State Department, "Madrid and Barcelona, in particular, have reported growing incidents of muggings and violent attacks."

It added that the crimes occur at all times of day and night in key tourist areas: near the Prado Museum and Atocha train station, and areas of old Madrid like the Puerta del Sol plaza, El Rastro flea market and the old royal courtyard Plaza Mayor.

According to the Madrid prosecutor's office, the overall crime rate rose 10.9 percent from 2000 to 2001, mainly because of increases in homicides, armed robberies, car theft and petty offenses.

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On the Net:

http://www.travel.state.gov/spain

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In my opinion, you have a greater chance of getting mugged in any major US city.

Yeah, I´d like to see the state department issue warnings about US cities using the same citeria. Imagine what they would say about LA with the way some neighborhoods are there!

Roe,

Actually other countries issue similar statements regarding visits to American cities. This isn't something that just the US does. It's common practice, as governments try to educate people on the perils they can encounter in foreign countries. Personally, I think the information is valuable. It at least makes people cautious.

Wolf

I agree Wolf... at least when some countries don't use this information to frighten people and harm the tourism...

Germany and the UK did it time ago

But in general I think that people must be well informed.

Still, I have not noted an increasing crime in Madrid... (no of my knowns have suffered a rob, steal, attack, pickpocket...).

Fernando

Fernando,

I don't doubt crime has increased in Spain. Of course I think it's increased just about everywhere. But it is puzzling to me how people will read something that says "use caution," and decide in their minds that it means "rampant crime wave in progress, be prepared to be a victim!"

In reference to the German situation you told us about... A friend told me this story. He's from Denmark, and it happened about six years ago when he was home visiting his family.

They'd decided to go to a beach for a picnic. They'd cook over a fire. When they arrived, the better areas of the beach were nearly empty. Yet, by the favorite sites for a picnic, there were signs put up with one word on them; "Verboten!"

It seems that some enterprising Germans decided they wanted to use that area in Denmark for themselves and marked the territory for future use.

As the story goes, he and his family gathered up over a dozen signs and the wood posts and used them for a nice fire, where they enjoyed their picnic. They had their own way of handling the issue - So much for the German version of "forbidden." -

Wolf

I agree with you too, Wolf. I've seen from an international point of view the "warnings" issued by the different governments, but perhaps more of a deterrent is the slanted news reports of what's going on in "L.A and some of those neighborhoods" (to quote Roe...who is perhaps the luckiest former US resident, since moving to Bilbao...CaliBasco is currently eating his heart out).

If the news media is to be believed, everyone in SoCal wears a specific "color", we enjoy daily "drive-by"-s, and it's unsafe anywhere after dark. Not true, but also not state-issued warnings. Then again, how many international travelers check the government warnings prior to leaving? Now ask yourself how many international travelers pick up a paper or watch a news broadcast prior to departure? I think "CNN" has more influence on what we think about what's going on where we're headed than "CIA"...

Cali,

You said it good buddy. News reports are slanted so badly that it's hard to tell what the truth really is. Adding to these woes is the fact that each news service picks up on someone elses story, imbellishes it further, then releases it with "new information" that is totally erroneous, all with the intent of showing theirs is bigger and better than the next persons' -

Wolf (Whose philosophy is don't believe anything you hear, and only half of what you see, unless it comes from Cali, Anchovy, or I, then don't believe one damned thing you see either - :p )

As it is said... "en todas partes cuecen habas".

Which means that you may have the same problems everywhere. Lack of objective information in this case...

Fernando

De acuerdo, Fernando.

And sometimes the habas that are cocidas turn out to be cuentos de hada...I like that dicho...thanks for putting that in here.

CaliBasco (who concurs completely with Wolf!)