Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
Other Local Resorts & Areas => Ovacik Discussion Forum => Topic started by: tetmeister on July 09, 2009, 07:36:15 AM
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I know this has been raised before,but my next door neighbour had another attempted break-in on tuesday night.Tried to force a window,but luckily the system we have both employed prevented entry,although they made a mess of his window.This is the 8th break-in,or attempted in this part of Ovacik this yr.Enoughs,enough,i ventured down to see the Mayor.Had a chat,told him I cant return to UK and leave my girlfriend and 4yr old,as they dont feel safe.Also told him I have a good friend,recently widowed,who is living here in fear.
The mayor promised to up the patrols by the jandarma,and apologised.Make no bones about it,chancers and tea-leaves are targetting occupied/unoccupied English properties.They will go to any length.I told the mayor through my pigeon Turkish and interpretor that I will maim any burglar who threatens my family or breaks-in to my castle.
I am also writing to the main man in Mugla to make them aware,on the suggestion of the mayor.
My points are;
1/ Don't be sort soaped that this isn't a problem here,it is.
2/ Be pro-active.Express your concerns in places other than this site,although this is a gr8 place to make others aware.
3/Be vigilant.Apply common sense.Speak to neighbours.Keep an eye out for anyone "casing" properties,unusual faces etc.This is organised crime.
4/ This is essentially a holiday/tourist area,with lots of goodies to be had.They are looking for small,easy disposed of items,upto and including smallish flat screen tv's,all wraped in your best bedspread.They want money,mobiles.They will rifle your knicker drawer girls.
MY MESSAGE; You could be next!It doesn't always happen to someone else.And ladies,if alone,carry a pepper spray or alike,and if you should be approached/confronted,shout " FIRE",it is a word that people respond to apparently more so than help.
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I would like to point out that theives are not necessarily always men. Women can also be burglars and have known of someone mistakenly thinking that the women leaving a neighbours house were cleaners. They walked out with stolen goods wrapped in a bedspread and was mistaken for laundry.
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Where in Ovacik is your place Tony? What is this system you have employed that prevented entry?
We had an attempted break-in last August, and since then we have had window locks, external PIR lights and an alarm fitted.
Interestingly, I read on Fethiye Times today that there is a new visitor complaint hotline.
http://www.fethiyetimes.org.uk/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1965&Itemid=169
This is for tourists and ex-pats. In addition to the phone number, there is also an email address. Maybe we should all start actively complaining about crime rate, and how this appears to be growing year on year. It's clear from reading this forum and others, that Calis, Uzumlu and Ovacik have a big problem with burglaries.
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Our villa is on same site as Babayards and we have had two attempted breakins this year...they made a right mess of the door but luckily didn't get in. Mind you there isn't really anything in there anyway..
As said before we have been told that they are after cash and anything they can sell on easily cameras etc
Whilst we out in turkey last month our neighbours rentees (four young women) left the outside lights on all day and night just seemed to advertising the fact they were there!
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2 female friends stopping in our ground floor apartment in Ovacik disturbed a breakin attempt at 5 o'clock this morning. Luckily we have fitted extra locks and they couldn't get in, but it obviously frightened our friends. Our maintenance guy contacted the jandarma, but because they didn't actually get into the property they weren't really interested.
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Are these attempted (and sometimes unfortunately successful) break ins happening on complexes or on private villas/apartments? Would be interesting to know, as many of the complexes supposedly have security???
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Sue Villa at Last was done a couple of weeks ago,they were broken into while they were asleep again only small stuff and money taken.They got through the basement window.
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Believe it or not, friends of mine had an attempted burglary, and when confronted, found they were English, and they ran
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There are 13 private villa's on our site, and before Hanel disappeared, we did have night security. Unfortunately, none of the maintenance companies want to hire Security personnel, and of course, some owners (including myself) have chosen different maintenance companies to provide pool and garden works, so continuity becomes a problem. As owners, all we can do is implement as many security measures as possible, but I believe the authorities need to do far more.
Just take a look at the top threads on CBF (which we all know is by far the most viewed / popular forum in S/W turkey) Attempted Abductions, Flashers and Break-in's seem to be at the top of most of the main forum and resort area forums. If you were a potential visitor to the Mugla region, would you bother having read these... I doubt it - what a shame [:(!]
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quote:
Just take a look at the top threads on CBF (which we all know is by far the most viewed / popular forum in S/W turkey) Attempted Abductions, Flashers and Break-in's seem to be at the top of most of the main forum and resort area forums. If you were a potential visitor to the Mugla region, would you bother having read these... I doubt it - what a shame
Yhis is not a true reflection of the area and why people should or should not visit. The reason it is high on topic is because people get more passionate talking about negative issues than positive issues. Someone tells you they did not get attacked, broken in to, stitched up etc no one is too bothered, as soon as you mention that they have, everyone has a comment. Bad news travels quicker than good news.
I suppose with regards break-ins dont be complacent, take commonsense precautions but don't let it stop you enjoying your life.
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Wake up David! Who are you trying to kid?
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Baba, I read the calis posts after this and now realise that it is a much bigger issue to the area than I previously thought, this can all be verified by the moderators that I am genuine in what I have said. I tend to use the forum looking for information/advice and do not have the time to be on here constantly and have found the forum to be really helpful but would have liked to hear some more positive feelgood comments but they they are not as interesting and people do not seem to get passionate as much about them.
I still love the place and this will not change my mind but I think it is important that we do not direct people to the negative posts and they miss the good points.
David
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David, I accept your explanation - no problem. I must however point out that CBF has been a very positive forum recently about the region in general, as most of the members are either loyal holiday makers, or property owners. Believe me, for a while, I wanted to ignore what was going on and also used to get annoyed if people posted issues related to crime.. That was until last year, when we fell victim to an attempted break-in, and since then 3 of our neighbours have been burgled.
Since the property bubble burst, and the credit crunch hit, the whole region has been spiralling downwards. I hope this is a period of adjustment, but we must take it seriously, and we must make as much noise as possible (in my humble opinion...which I know does not always come across as humble..):D
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Got a bit wound up earlier, We are going over on friday and as always looking forward to it. I decided to have a look on here just to fuel the excitement but it done the opposite and got my back up. I was expecting to hear how everyone is enjoying themselves in the 30 c sun chilling out, dipping in the pool, going to the beach, visiting good restaurants having nice meals in beautiful surroundings with stunning scenery. People may say I am not in the real world but you have got have something to look forward to. We have always felt safe over the years, although we do take the usual precautions but we dont want the fear factor because we don't live like that in the uk.
David
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David believe me it is a problem.
I like to take "sensible precautions" but when six people are asleep in the villa all windows doors locked and someone forces the window, gets in, goes into the bedroom where my family are sleeping take a wallet, handbag [which was under the bed]and some jewellery leave without waking anybody its no surprise I have now had wrought iron bars put up!
Yes I still love it there but it is right to bring peoples attention to this increasing problem.
This posting isn't designed to frighten or worry people but we all have to share our experiences for the benefit of everyone.
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Another break-in overnite,in the villa opp mine up by Melodi otel.Forced a grnd floor window,occupants in bed,took two mobiles,chucked the SIM cards on the floor.Took nothing else.Funny,I've been asked many times on the market that if I can bring mobile phones out when I come,they will buy them all off me.Haven't done so,but they know what they are after.Keep em peeled...............
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So why is it that the UK mobiles are so valuable, when you can get most of the makes and models in Turkey[?]
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quote:
Originally posted by BabaYard
Where in Ovacik is your place Tony? What is this system you have employed that prevented entry?
We had an attempted break-in last August, and since then we have had window locks, external PIR lights and an alarm fitted.
Interestingly, I read on Fethiye Times today that there is a new visitor complaint hotline.
http://www.fethiyetimes.org.uk/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=viewid=1965itemid=169
This is for tourists and ex-pats. In addition to the phone number, there is also an email address. Maybe we should all start actively complaining about crime rate, and how this appears to be growing year on year. It's clear from reading this forum and others, that Calis, Uzumlu and Ovacik have a big problem with burglaries.
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My villa was broken into last week. Myself and my guests were cleaned out. We had ironworks, double window locks and the most expensive , mulipltle locked metal front door available, but the thieves, low life that they are , just drilled right through the locks and then entered the property to thieve precious possessions and wreck furniture. The end result was one english family returning home with two terified children, just 3 days into their holiday. The children were really terrified and the thieves took everything they had. This is not a good example of a Turkish holiday experience to take home, is it? I came to a Turkey where women felt safe, this is not the case now. THE CHIEF OF POLICE NEEDS TO SHAKE HIS OFFICERS ,BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT PROTECTING HOLIDAYMAKERS HERE, AT ALL!!
My home is in a village near Calis, so you are not safe anywhere. The Turkish people need to act, because holidaymakers will stop coming and revenue in shops and restaurants will drop.I am a positive person with many friends around the world and I have travelled to many countries and Fethiye needs to increase its police patrols, because if more is not done in Fethiye, Calis and surrounding towns, then people will leave, just as my guests have done.
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Kit Kat which village near Calis ?? Our house is in Ciftlik - is it there ??
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Cos mobiles are exp out here.You can get a bog standard one for 80tl,but the decent ones are way more exp in my experience than back home.And theyre easy to move on.
quote:
Originally posted by BabaYard
So why is it that the UK mobiles are so valuable, when you can get most of the makes and models in Turkey[?]
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Really sorry to hear about your break-in,it shows the extremes that they will go to.Personally,although we shouldn't have to and it may get poo-pood,but i can see neighbourhood watch being set up out here by ex-pats and villa owners,because I thik this will all fall on deaf ears.At the end of the day,they wouldntgo to that extreme to get in back home.This is going too far,and I think we need to pull together and look after each others interests and safety.Hope the kids arent too traumatised.Feel gutted for you,Tony.
quote:
Originally posted by kit kat
My villa was broken into last week. Myself and my guests were cleaned out. We had ironworks, double window locks and the most expensive , mulipltle locked metal front door available, but the thieves, low life that they are , just drilled right through the locks and then entered the property to thieve precious possessions and wreck furniture. The end result was one english family returning home with two terified children, just 3 days into their holiday. The children were really terrified and the thieves took everything they had. This is not a good example of a Turkish holiday experience to take home, is it? I came to a Turkey where women felt safe, this is not the case now. THE CHIEF OF POLICE NEEDS TO SHAKE HIS OFFICERS ,BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT PROTECTING HOLIDAYMAKERS HERE, AT ALL!!
My home is in a village near Calis, so you are not safe anywhere. The Turkish people need to act, because holidaymakers will stop coming and revenue in shops and restaurants will drop.I am a positive person with many friends around the world and I have travelled to many countries and Fethiye needs to increase its police patrols, because if more is not done in Fethiye, Calis and surrounding towns, then people will leave, just as my guests have done.
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Kit Kat , where is your house and did you report it to the police?
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We have just got back home from our place near the Sunday market. 4 apartments were broken into ours included. We were so distressed by the incident. The thieves took the lock of the doors and just helped themseves to phones and other valuables. The locksmith said they were professional theives who are travelling around the area. Please be very careful about secrurity. This incident has really upset us, but we still love Calis and the surrounding areas. This has not put us off going back. We did report it to the police. It seems there are many break ins lately to both Turkish and Brits. Such a shame. Other than this we had a wonderful time.
I want to say a great big thank you to Sitki from the Shamrock Bar on Calis Beach for helping to translate at the Police Station and for being so helpful and sensitive, and I also want to thank Pauline, Monica and Burcu, the team from Rainbow Property services for all your help. Thanks guys your support was so much appreciated. :)
Heather. x
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sorry to hear about your break in, it is very distressing to all concerned,i was burgled in the uk and i know how it feels.it's the invasion of your privacy that hurts
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I still think about the best deterrant to get are audible alarms on windows and doors,which can be purchased from loads of places in Fethiye,including B & Q.To an unsuspecting thief,to suddenly get an unsuspecting 90 decibels in your ear,and not know where quickly to isolate it ,is gonna make you think about doing a legger.I bought a Yale alarm over from england,£60,which also has two passives that cover my whole grnd floor area,with asiren when it goes off that does ya ear drums.Back up whatever security you have with audible alarms.It'll alert you,and hopefully send em packing.
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At 3 am on Thursday morning my Intruder alarm (25 quid from B&Q) went off. I legged it down stairs shouting crap like 'Come on then' but I didn't see anyone. But the next door hotel security guy had heard the alarm and saw 2 guys jumping out of the window they came in and legging it across the villa garden behind us.
They had ealier 'done' that villa - 1000ytl and 2 mobiles and 2 cameras! and the villa next to us had also been broken into. (they used 2 screwdrivers to prise the Hanel DG window open - they will have to smash the glass next time because I fitted locking bolts to every door and window the next day (10ytl each - probably saw me coming! but they seem robust))
We had a visit, within 10 minutes of the break-in, from the Jendarma but they didn't seem too bothered about setting up road blocks. One of our friends had seen 4 young guys on 2 mopeds watching the villas at 7pm that evening - wearing full face helmets! A rapid response from the Jendarma may have caught the ****ers if they were making their escape towards Fethiye.
So, that's the best 25 quid I've spent in a long time! The Jendarma said they sell the same kind of intruder alarm - I'd recommend all owners get one or renters if the owners haven't. They are battery powered and easy to install.
Jondo
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Which alarm was it from B&Q, do you have a link to item.
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For those of you who live in the UK and want to bring out some alarms for your villa's / apartments, I have attached a couple of links for you. In addition to the window / door alarms, and the internal PIR sensor alarm, we also have an external solar powered alarm. We had this fitted last year, and the battery lasted throughout the winter - no problem! With all of the power cuts, I believe this to be the best approach. In fact the manufactures stated that you would need 24 days of continuous darkness for the battery to run flat. No chance of that, unless you live in Norway ;)
Like Jondo and Tetmeister say, burglars don't like alarms going off! These sneaky little f**kers like to root around in the dark, and disappear into the shadows. They seem to be able to get past all sorts of bars and locks, but they certainly don't want to stick around with alarms blaring in their ear drums.
http://www.responseelectronics.com/store/Wireless-Alarms-c-35.html
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=31825
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=31613
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Sadly just got phone call from people renting my apartment they have been broken into this morning.they ba###ards have also broken into a villa just up the road. they are waiting for jendarma to come as i Wright this. :(:(:(
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Sorry to hear that Doody, where is your apart so others can be on the alert,are they ok, and hopefully hope its not their 1st visit, it really is getting bad for these break ins,
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Ovecik it was there first time. He is a policeman himself he has got a very clear fingerprint on the window so hopefully the jandarma will catch them.they are coming home today and i am going out tonight for three weeks so i will have to follow things up.
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not being cynical,but he might as well dust the window himself,photo it ,take some piccies,and follow it up when he gets home,as unfortunately the Jandarma here aren't remotely interested.Been involved in 4 break-in assists out here and the jandarma have been about as good as a chocolate fireguard.sorry.