JSP 51, Yes we were in the house, we moved here permanently 4 weeks ago, the dog barked and we think that frightened them into grabbing what they could in the kitchen and then running. Another couple had their mobile phones taken off the bedside table next to them whilst they were asleep. They have caught the thieves, 4 men and 2 women, in Didem which is 4 hours away. They were from Eastern Turkey and were on their way back there when the local Polis stopped them for speeding and found bags of 'goodies' in the car. As for the camera's, it is NOT the ex-pats who are asking for them, it is the local head of the Jandarma who wants them to protect ALL residents of Uzumlu, at least one of the houses broken into was a Turkish resident. The head of the Jandarma explained that if he had cameras on the main roads into and out of Uzumlu (there are only 3 roads) he could have seen any cars leaving at the dead of night and ran a trace on them and then if he had found the car was stolen or from another part of Turkey he could have acted on that. He knows who everyone is in the village, he has a file on everyone, I know because I have seen ours, and he knows who is out and about. If he see's a stranger or strange car in the area he can keep an eye on it. I for one am not afraid of 'big brother' how many heads of police in the UK can say that they know all their residents? The file on us is reassuring not worrying as we know he has the safety of ALL residents of Uzumlu in mind.
Eric and Fi