Please be Vigilant

[Karennina]

Really sorry to hear this Tiff... Joan there is a thread running on here re the people collecting for the soldiers it appears they were not genuine at all

[Lotty]

If I was having a place built, I'd make sure to sink a safe into the concrete floor. It's a real shame, on the one hand someone will chase you 200 metres to return your purse/wallet which you put down in a shop and on the other shady people are casing the joint and watching you to see when you leave your home. Just be very cautious and take every precaution possible.

[Jacqui Harvey]

True. Re burglar alarm for £20, do you mean B&Q in UK? Sounds amazingly cheap!

Yes, it was £20.00.  It is fitted on the wall and you get a small keychain device with it which has an on/off switch, which says Arm/Disarm.  Set it when you leave with the device by pressing "Arm" and when you return just click it at the wall alarm by pressing "Disarm"  to switch it off.  It needs a battery. It makes a very loud noise if it is set off.
This alarm works for one room only, but if you have a Villa/Apartment with open plan living/dining/kitchen, one on the wall will cover the area.
Also a large dummy Alarm on the wall outside with a flashing light is a very good idea particular when you have the Burglar Alarm set on the inside of the house, it's just another warning to the thief.  

[koukla]

Poor Tiff.  I find all of this very sad.  Who wants to have to be so vigilant on holiday?  At home, I go out, set the burglar alarm and that's it.  Recently, I've read or heard that now, not even the iron bars are any good on the doors because they just jemmy them off.  If anything kills tourism in Turkey..... or anywhere, it's going to be this kind of thing which kills the chill factor you've gone out there to seek.  What a shame for all the lovely genuine Turkish people too who are only trying to make an honest living out of tourism if that were to happen.

[johntaylor49]

True. Re burglar alarm for £20, do you mean B&Q in UK? Sounds amazingly cheap!

Jacqui you have it in one. the more barriers/threats you put in the Burglars way the more likley
they will try somewhere else, it is always a balance between getting caught and the value obtainable
and the ease of disposal. It is no different in the UK. I live close to Salford, a deprived City with an above
average crime rate, particularly Burglary and Violent Crime so I have two alarm systems, both battery backed,
(classic is cut the power to disable alarms), the control panel also behind a locked secure casing and a wall
safe where I put cash and valuables except small amounts. I dont know about Turkey Safes available but if you can obtain
a good wall safe these can be quite secure as they are bolted through the back to the outside wall so
quite a job to remove them without a hell of a lot of noise, ---- and effort! 

Shame there is so much burgulary, and I wonder if the Kurds are really to blame, they seem to be the whipping
boys of Turkey and the Middle East and I dont see them as the Thieves of Baghdad as they often portrayed!

I hate hearing of anyone being burgled, it is such an invasion of your life. Fortunately never happended to me,
but my neighbours both sides of my home have been, twice! I guess it is a trade-off between costs of system and level of security,
Friedland are very good systems and available on ebay. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wireless-house-home-burglar-alarm-Friedland-SL6-/171006575534?pt=UK_Burglar_Alarms&hash=item27d0c943ae make sure whatever you get it is 868MHz and not 433MHz. Easy to fit yourself!