Barcelona Bandits (1 Viewer)

[goldenline]

TRavelling back from benidorm we were passing through barcelona this morning when ther was a loud thud on the side of the van and a BMW pulled a longs idle with a young woman hanging out of the rear window frantically waving us to pull over. Fortunately we had read previous posts on funsters and so carried on going with janice pretending to take a photo with the phone. They immediately sped away. Maybe Sunday is not a good day to travel in Barcelona as the traffic was very light compared to during the week. So be careful.
Alan

 

[JockandRita]

TRavelling back from benidorm we were passing through barcelona this morning when ther was a loud thud on the side of the van and a BMW pulled a longs idle with a young woman hanging out of the rear window frantically waving us to pull over. Fortunately we had read previous posts on funsters and so carried on going with janice pretending to take a photo with the phone. They immediately sped away. Maybe Sunday is not a good day to travel in Barcelona as the traffic was very light compared to during the week. So be careful.
Alan

Hi Alan,

Glad to hear that you didn't stop . :thumb: Have they done any damage to the bodywork of the MH?

Regards,

Jock.

 

[Phill D]

TRavelling back from benidorm we were passing through barcelona this morning when ther was a loud thud on the side of the van and a BMW pulled a longs idle with a young woman hanging out of the rear window frantically waving us to pull over. Fortunately we had read previous posts on funsters and so carried on going with janice pretending to take a photo with the phone. They immediately sped away. Maybe Sunday is not a good day to travel in Barcelona as the traffic was very light compared to during the week. So be careful.
Alan

good tactics to take a photo and make it obvious, well done keeping a cool head, have a safe trip :thumb:

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[goldenline]

Thankfully no damage
Alan

 

[greyman1]

its a funny old world isnt it . when this subject has been brought up in the past there are always some that say it is "scaremongering" and that in" 10 years they have never been robbed" etc etc. yet you are proof that these incidents do happen, and you are also a perfect example of "being forewarned is forearmed " WELL DONE TO YOU !! regards garry

 

[Welsh girl]

Was that on a motorway or other small road as we are intending to go home that way to calais?
Not going to stop there now as we planned though as we have heard the stories as well and plan to visit it by bus instead.
We are near Cartagena now.

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[simbadog]

Was that on a motorway or other small road as we are intending to go home that way to calais?
Not going to stop there now as we planned though as we have heard the stories as well and plan to visit it by bus instead.
We are near Cartagena now.

Hang on to your wallets etc.
I had a "gentleman" try to lift my wallet in a bus queue in Barcelona :Angry: I left him
nursing sore fingers :thumb:

 

[brynric]

We came past Barcelona on Friday with no problem other than it was a big busy city. That was on the toll road, the AP. 7(?). However I did meet another Brit motorhomer who said he had travelled on the toll free road to the south and he had difficulties not with crime but following the route.
I've seen a video on YouTube of the "pull-over bandits" it's certainly not scaremongering. Glad to hear you're ok.

 

[goldenline]

Was that on a motorway or other small road as we are intending to go home that way to calais?
Not going to stop there now as we planned though as we have heard the stories as well and plan to visit it by bus instead.
We are near Cartagena now.

It was on the ring road around Barcelona still part of the ap7. We have stayed at Villanova park and also Blane's and used bus and train to visit Barcelona no problem at all , public transport is fine. Do visit Barcelona as it is a fantastic city
Janice & Alan

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[Viennese]

People always say that Barcelona is a terrible place for theft, pickpocketing etc. If you are seen to be being sensible, not brandishing a smartphone or untethered camera and make sure nothing valuable is in your pockets, take care of handbags etc, it's not that bad. Recently had 6 days there staying in the city and had no problems at all. I suppose we just didn't look worth robbing!!

 

[JJ]

I don't know about getting robbed IN Barcelona but I know about getting beaten up BY Barcelona... but that was in Manchester...

JJ :Cool:

 

[camocam1]

I had a small wallet taken from inside zipped pocket of my jacket on the underground there were 6 of us and a couple pushed through to look at underground map on the wall
They took a few Euros but left the credit card and a kind lady who saw them drop the wallet and gave me it back
Saw them next day at underground station and gave chase but was stopped by policeman who said "believe me its not worth the risk" and he was not interested

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[sciac2001]

Thanks for the reminder of the tricks that can be played.
I would definately take the picture and not just pretend to. Anything relating to the vehicle and the occupants will be helpful to the police, at least in recording the details and cross-checking with other motorhomers/caravanners who hopefully will also have taken photos.
Went to Barcelona last week and must say I did not feel threatened in any shape or form. Common-sense precautions must obviously be observed, whether in Barcelona or anywhere else.

 

[Minxy]

People just be careful out there............anyone remember Hill Street Blues

Yup, very well! It was Sgt 'Phil' (the sex mad one!) who always called Capt Furrilo Francis, and used to say "Let's be careful out there!".

He was subsequently replaced by the old 'grumpty git' who used to say "Let's do it to them before they do it to us!!!!!".

Do you remember the mad SWAT leader Howard - he used to crease me up! Also what about Belker who used to jump on criminal's backs, bite them and call them 'dog breath'! :Blush:

Oh how I miss it!!!! It was way before its time! :thumb:

 

[Mastercamper]

Do you know, I went out in the glorious weather here in Northumberland today and I can honestly say that I did not feel threatened at all. :thumb::thumb:

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[wanderer]

What annoys me on these attempted/actual robberies in the Barcelona area is the Police inactivity to stop the crimes . How difficult can it be to set up a sting to apprehend the perpitrators after all there cant be that many cruising around the Barcelona roads .
I for one never stop anywhere near Barcelona and allways fill up miles before this also applies to many other motorhomers i have spoken to in the campsites to the south. I have met people that have been robbed in this way which was so traumatic that they have sold up .
Barcelona may be a great place to visit but until they make an effort to rid this scurge from their society i will continue on my way south

 

[ourcampersbeentrashed]

well done both of you and what a shame the photo wasnt real


I hope they catch the miserable scamming gits that cant leave honest people alone to enjoy their lives

 

[billkce]

It is not my intention to demean the experience of being 'attacked' by 'bandits' in any country or situation. If this has happened to you then it is regrettable & probably quite alarming.

However, there are hundreds of thousands of Motorhome & Caravan journeys taken every year throughout Europe & we only ever hear of the odd attack once in a blue moon. Its a miniscule minority when you look at the stats.

I have met hundreds if not thousands of Motorhomers on our travels thru Europe & the UK over the past 5 years and have yet to meet a single victim of this crime. If this discussion ever comes up it is always hearsay or apocryphal.

So, my point is, IMO, that this type of story is scaremongering to a degree. We should get the threat into proportion. These stories do put people off travelling & make them unnecessarily nervous. Stories about pickpockets are irrelevant to the MH scenario as pickpockets operate everywhere.

Therefore, of course be vigilant & be aware of the threat, but keep it in proportion & don't let it spoil the journey.:thumb:

Cheers

Bilkce

its a funny old world isnt it . when this subject has been brought up in the past there are always some that say it is "scaremongering" and that in" 10 years they have never been robbed" etc etc. yet you are proof that these incidents do happen, and you are also a perfect example of "being forewarned is forearmed " WELL DONE TO YOU !! regards garry

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[iandsm]

Bandits

True, it's not often we see a first hand account such as that from the OP and that's a good thing, we should keep matters in proportion and not let the fear of an attack spoil our journey. However, a first hand account from a victim/potential victim is a good reminder to be vigilant. If a city or it's outskirts are known to be frequented by pickpockets, (which are relevant to the motor homing tourist fraternity), and other thieves I really can't see anything disproportionate about a factual, as opposed to hearsay, warning post. I certainly can't see this post as being what has been described as scaremongering to a degree.

Keeping the threat in proportion is of course sensible but talking of proportion, we have been motor homing in the UK and Europe for over ten years and I can count the number of people we have met to discuss crimes like this with in tens, not hundreds and certainly not thousands, But we do have first hand experience in that a motorhome next to ours was broken into during the night and an attempt was make to get into ours at an aire in Oostende last year and we were targeted, without success, by a distraction type thief in the south of France earlier the same year.

Again, as has been said the original post was I think a perfect example of forewarned being forearmed, had the OP not been aware of these tactics he probably would have stopped to become a victim of theft/robbery.

So I thank him for the post.

 

[MitchandJenny]

We were staying at La Marina and a German came in with gaffer tape all over the LHR corner of his van.. He told me that he had just pulled out onto the main road after re-fueling and was overtaken by a car waving at the LHR corner of his van and saying "pull over".. Just then, the tyre "let go" with bang.. His wife ( who was Spanish ) opened the window and told them she had already called the police and to P*ss off.. They shot off at a rate of knots... The chap then pulled over and changed the wheel and taped up his bodywork and came in to La Marina... He reckoned they had stabbed the sidewall of his tyre while he was in paying for his fuel.. Luckily his wife could scare them in their own language, but it shook them up.!!
Yes, I know, the "doubters" will be reading this and thinking, " another someone who saw someone ".. Well, that is your prerogative.. Like the chap who posted about the thump on the side of his van, all I want to do is to illustrate another way it can "happen" and another thing you can keep your eyes peeled for... The sensible and "steady" among us WILL carry
on enjoying our travels into the unknown and unseen and not yet visited, but maybe with the knowledge we gather from people we trust ( like "funsters" who pass it on ).. We will be able to keep ourselves as safe as possible... ENJOY.. Mitch... :thumb:

 

[Bebe]

No one should call it "scaremongering" when the aim is to inform the forum of genuine incidents and for the newbie to European travel to be aware of what can and does happen occasionally. If we have the knowledge and together with common sense we can be safe.

It is better to know their "tricks of their trade" rather than not to know. These people are professionals at it, on the road and in habitation areas, so it wise for us to be aware.

It shouldn't stop anyone from enjoying their foreign travels but should make us a little more aware of their activities, and be one step ahead of them :thumb:

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[wanderer]

Another ruse is the window cleaners at traffic lights to stab your tyres and someone will follow you, as previous posts suggest just be aware and be sure how to react if an incident occurs

 

[brynric]

..........what suggestions do people have for sites that are safe and with good transport links to Barcelona Centre.

We recently stayed at Vilanova Park. It's a big site with lots of bungalows but it's Acsi and has excellent facilities.
The is a bus direct to Barcelona from just outside the gates. The 2013 leaflet suggested it cost €4.75, took 75 minutes and run about every hour.

 

[lindylou]

As I said real information is vital in being prepared....................recently in Paris a young girl bent over in front of us and seemed to find a gold wedding band and asked if it was ours. Because of information on here I gave her an unpleasant reply. The wife thought I was being unpleasant to a young girl who was only trying to help........................it was only when I pointed out that she had just found another wedding ring across the road that the penny dropped.

But now back to Barcelona................what suggestions do people have for sites that are safe and with good transport links to Barcelona Centre.

By the way Andy Sipowicz was my favourite Hill Street character

We stayed at Garrofer park in Sitges. Sitges is a lovely little town and the bus to Barcelona stops at the gates. It was about 3.75 on the bus I think. We left the motorhome on site for one night and stayed in a Barcelona hotel. Bus takes about 50 minutes each way.

Lin

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[Chris]

Do you know, I went out in the glorious weather here in Northumberland today and I can honestly say that I did not feel threatened at all. :thumb::thumb:

I usually feel safe but some weirdo followed my car home from work today. No doubt about it. I led him through various right and left turns in one big circle

I managed to give him the slip though after pulling into a sharp right turn without indicating and he overshot. I then did a 3 point turn and just as I had finished it he came steaming down the road and I just drove past him knowing that I would be well gone before he had a chance to turn.

I don't know what it was about. No road rage or anything, I hadn't cut anyone up.

Very strange and a little disturbing:Sad:

 

[JockandRita]

I usually feel safe but some weirdo followed my car home from work today. No doubt about it. I led him through various right and left turns in one big circle

I managed to give him the slip though after pulling into a sharp right turn without indicating and he overshot. I then did a 3 point turn and just as I had finished it he came steaming down the road and I just drove past him knowing that I would be well gone before he had a chance to turn.

I don't know what it was about. No road rage or anything, I hadn't cut anyone up.

Very strange and a little disturbing:Sad:

I hope you noted his Reg No, car make and model, and the time of day. I'd be having a word with the Police, seriously.

Glad to know that nothing sinister came of it.

Regards,

Jock.

 

[Chris]

I hope you noted his Reg No, car make and model, and the time of day. I'd be having a word with the Police, seriously.

Glad to know that nothing sinister came of it.

Regards,

Jock.

I got the make, but not the number or colour really as it was getting dark and towards the end he was pretty close to me.

Good job I watch lots of car chase movies

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[grasscutter]

Alan, thankyou for your post. It highlights how we should all be aware of the situation. I do not consider it scaremongering but very informative.
It's very easy to always think it happens to other people. It becomes different when it occurs to someone you have met and you know them to be level headed individuals.
Glad that you and Janice reacted quickly and escaped intact from the incident.
Graham