My phone was stolen from me in Fisterra by a man with a knife

[JSwalker134]

My phone was stolen by a man with a knife in an albergue in Fisterra, about 4 weeks ago, from my bed while I was sleeping. I saw the thread discussing it here that was subsequently closed. on advice of a friend back home I made a post on the Reddit subreddit for the Camino, as I did not know about this forum. Links below:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/xpost-from-the-camino-subreddit-report-from-6-days-ago-of-knife-robbery-in-a-fisterra-albergue.81799/

https://www.reddit.com/r/CaminoDeSantiago/comments/14pfyhp

The phone was stolen from my bed at about 4am, I'm usually very careful about my possessions, never had anything stolen from me in my life even in places more dangerous than Spain. I was sleeping in the bed, woke up hearing some noise (quite a light sleeper, saw a person next to my bed who said 'Hola' to me and hurriedly walked out, I thought it might be another pilgrim but the speed he moved at made me suspicious, so I jumped out of bed, followed him out of the room and into the street. I also worried that he had taken my laptop, which he was probably trying to take as well as my phone, both were on my bed. Unfortunately I wasn't wearing my glasses and had no shoes on, so I couldn't get far, at some point he dropped a knife, which the Guardia Civil later recovered, and I hoped they might have been able to trace some DNA/fingerprints from it, but I don't know what they have done.

The Guardia Civil searched the area but no luck, told me to sleep a few hours (I didn't ofc) then in the daytime took me to their station, took statements, showed me mugshots etc but I wasn't sure, also I was too shaken. I didn't speak Spanish beyond essentials for a peregrino and they didn't speak much English, I spoke briefly with a telephone translator and with translate app on their phone, but it wasn't an easy conversation. For example I wanted ask them if they could trace the phone via triangulation of the cellular network or the GPS, because it's still had battery and was possible to call my phone for about 24 hours. (I tried phoning repeatedly on a borrowed phone and my friends in the UK phoned the phone and left messages, hoping that I could pay the thief to get my phone back). But basically I didn't feel they handled the situation well, I was on my own and sleep deprived and shaken up.

The albergue I stayed in did not lock the door at night (in Fisterra a lot of people go to watch the sunset and don't get back til late at night), the door did not have a code, and it did not have a working security camera (it was inactive). Also the hospitalerio had a work laptop visible in the reception and the thief did not steal that, it suggest to me he deliberately targets pilgrims. I was the only person in my room in the albergue, it was mostly empty that time. The hospitalerio said it was up to me to lock the door at night, but she didn't explain in English or even have a written sign. She was very kind to me after it happened, but I felt the people running it (small family one I guess) didn't do enough to ensure the security of the albergue. They also didn't seem very surprised when it happened, after I told a staff member they just pointed to a sign saying they took no responsibility for stolen items, which is understandable, but to me it suggests that thefts are common, and if so they need to do something to protect your guests.

This is really hard for me because it had photos of the last few weeks of a relatives life, photos from the funeral, also photos of some of their possessions that were to be disposed of or given away. I don't think I backed these up (yes, silly of me, but I really didn't expect to lose a device on the camino) Basically after dealing with a difficult bereavement process this year, I decided to do a short camino as part of the healing process. The phone itself was not even high value (120 euros new) and had a crack in the screen, so I don't see what resale value the thief would get from it. I would have paid about the cost of the phone brand new to get it back, and I asked around in Fisterra if anyone could get it back I would pay 100 euros for it. Also another loss is contacts I'd made with people on the Camino, I don't think I can back these up unless I can find where I wrote the password my google account. But anyway, apparently Fisterra has a reputation for drug addicts and thefts, this is something I had heard from many people on the Santiago-Muxia-Fisterra caminos to be careful in Fisterra because of thieves.. Apparently the night before there was a robbery in the municipal albergue, although the thief had been caught (because they have cameras)

The only good thing is that most people you meet on the Camino are good people, wonderful people, and talking to people helped me a lot. It basically ruined my Camino experience, and it brought the death of my relative back to me. I've pretty much given up on getting the phone returned (hopefully I should be able to find the IMEI number and get the phone deactivated so people will be discouraged not to buy stolen phones). Other than that, I'm not sure I can really encourage other people to do a camino now, unless they are extremely careful and don't take anything valuable/sentimental, buy a cheap disposable phone before for example. Also yes I was disappointed by the Guardia Civil's response and lack of English (in an area with lots of international tourists and piligrims) because the fact the phone was still on for 24 hours or so after it happened meant there was a chance of it getting recovered.

 

[J Willhaus]

So sorry this happened to you. As a volunteer hospitalero, I worry for the safety of our pilgrims when I am volunteering. I am glad your were not hurt.

 

[Lexicos]

Thanks for the warning. It’s sad to know that the camino and pilgrims are seen as an easy target by unscrupulous mugs. I hope your phone catches fire in his pocket.

 

[thejoker]

Very sad story. How traumatizing. These kinds of people should have no place in open society.

 

[JSwalker134]

So sorry this happened to you. As a volunteer hospitalero, I worry for the safety of our pilgrims when I am volunteering. I am glad your were not hurt.

thank you, I'd say as a minimum is for an albergue have visible cameras (and signs notifying potential thieves) and a door keycode system. Also information in several languages about being careful about possessions being stolen. The albergue I stayed in had none of this.

I had a lucky escape not to have been hurt, though I feel it would be easier to take a physical injury than lose photos of my late relative.

 

[Pathfinder075]

Recovering contacts should be trivial from your google account. But you may need to contact Google directly and explain your phone was stolen, so you can't use 2FA to verify your identity, but could use your passport to verify yourself.

Hopefully you didn't have banking apps attached to it and the contents were encrypted, plus a password set to open it. If a thief gets a phone that is completely locked out, they will wipe it and reinstall. If it has no password, then i would contact your bank and deactivate online banking, deactivate anything financial that uses 2FA until you can get a new phone in your home country, also change all your passwords, but especially for anything linked to your phone.

If you recorded the IMEI number when you first got it, tell your phone/contract provider and they will black tag it, making the phone worthless.

If you have cloud backups set up, most of your data and photos will have been backed up to cloud every time you connect to wifi. At the bare minimum that would be contacts and maybe text messages. If you enabled full backups and set up drive, then it will probably include pictures too.

 

[J Willhaus]

thank you, I'd say as a minimum is for an albergue have visible cameras (and signs notifying potential thieves) and a door keycode system. Also information in several languages about being careful about possessions being stolen. The albergue I stayed in had none of this.

I had a lucky escape not to have been hurt, though I feel it would be easier to take a physical injury than lose photos of my late relative.

None of the albergues where we have volunteered have security systems or key codes. Just an old fashioned lock with keys. If you go out, you usually can't get back in so we let people know that. A key code could also be easy to hack if not changed regularly. We are always on site day and night so a good bit of pounding on the door could awaken us if a pilgrim was accidently locked out.

We don't advise people about their valuables unless consulted about it directly and then we give the same advice that people get here on the forum about never leaving them unattended. What people do at night with them may differ. I sleep with mine on my person under my sleep clothes in a belt and inside my sleep sack, but that isn't always comfortable or possible with a camera, laptop, etc. A skilled thief with light fingers could still be successful at taking phone, cards, or cash.

Theft can really leave people feeling vulnerable especially when they thought they were in a safe environment. It is always easy after the fact to see where a breech can be made in our security. While your account may help others, it probably doesn't make you feel your loss any less. Thank you again for sharing.

Again, I am glad you were not physically harmed, but I can see what a loss this is for you in both the photos and to your trust.

 

[JSwalker134]

Recovering contacts should be trivial from your google account. But you may need to contact Google directly and explain your phone was stolen, so you can't use 2FA to verify your identity, but could use your passport to verify yourself.

Hopefully you didn't have banking apps attached to it and the contents were encrypted, plus a password set to open it. If a thief gets a phone that is completely locked out, they will wipe it and reinstall. If it has no password, then i would contact your bank and deactivate online banking, deactivate anything financial that uses 2FA until you can get a new phone in your home country, also change all your passwords, but especially for anything linked to your phone.

If you recorded the IMEI number when you first got it, tell your phone/contract provider and they will black tag it, making the phone worthless.

If you have cloud backups set up, most of your data and photos will have been backed up to cloud every time you connect to wifi. At the bare minimum that would be contacts and maybe text messages. If you enabled full backups and set up drive, then it will probably include pictures too.

no banking apps, just some messenger apps accounts which I may be able to recover, not sure if I even have the login for the google account (need to get the sim replaced I guess) , plus all the photos/videos etc, including of my relative. I didn't have cloud backups but I think I backed up a few photos to a laptop back home.

I hope to find the IMEI number from the phone packaging, I hope I have it somewhere back home. the phone was only 7 months old so its not like i've lost years worth of stuff, but still I was rather lax with personal security, I just never expected this to happen, its a cheap phone with little resale value. In my home country stuff like this doesn't really happen because desperate people get free money from the government, not even worth the risk of stealing.

 

[Bradypus]

None of the albergues where we have volunteered have security systems or key codes. Just an old fashioned lock with keys. If you go out, you usually can't get back in so we let people know that.

And neither form of lock would prevent theft by people actually staying in the albergue - which has happened a number of times in recent years. Sad to say but not all those who sleep in albergues are what they appear to be. Thieves have often found albergues a soft target. And within the past week two "pilgrims" were arrested in San Justo de la Vega in connection with a murder in Reliegos after an apparent attempt to hide themselves amongst the pilgrim crowds. Unfortunately there is a need for caution even on the Caminos.

 

[JSwalker134]

And neither form of lock would prevent theft by people actually staying in the albergue - which has happened a number of times in recent years. Sad to say but not all those who sleep in albergues are what they appear to be. Thieves have often found albergues a soft target. And within the past week two "pilgrims" were arrested in San Justo de la Vega in connection with a murder in Reliegos after an apparent attempt to hide themselves amongst the pilgrim crowds. Unfortunately there is a need for caution even on the Caminos.

yes that's very sad, first time I walked the Camino the Guardia Civil had a checkpoint in the middle of nowhere and would not let anyone pass on the Camino without giving their ID/passport. They were probably looking for someone.

In the UK we don't have national ID and the police can't stop you unless they you are a suspect or witness in a crime

 

[Pathfinder075]

In the UK most people have a driving license and possibly a passport. It is exceptionally hard to open a bank account or do pretty much anything without those. Also every citizen has a national insurance number which is tied to a name and address and to the voting registers, so you will have a trail of sorts. Police can pull that data during a PNC check.

As for stopping people, if they want to stop you, they will, usually with any excuse going. If nothing is amiss, they let you go and apologise. Happens a lot in London, less so in other cities. Stop and search does still exist.

If you are in an albergue, keep your expensive and important stuff in your sleeping bag when sleeping (and ideally attached to yourself). Other electronics like laptops/tablets, I don't. But the data is encrypted and I tend to buy cheap refurb'd electronics for these trips and not expensive stuff. Like my current tablet that cost me £45 on ebay. I don't like the term throwaway electronics, but that's what it is. Burn phone level kit that you get for a trip and sell or give away upon completion. If it gets stolen, it's going to hurt, but not as much as if you had a top end iphone or ipad stolen.

 

[LTfit]

thank you, I'd say as a minimum is for an albergue have visible cameras (and signs notifying potential thieves) and a door keycode system. Also information in several languages about being careful about possessions being stolen. The albergue I stayed in had none of this.

I had a lucky escape not to have been hurt, though I feel it would be easier to take a physical injury than lose photos of my late relative.

Of course it is very unfortunate what happened to you and I hope that you retrieve your phone or at least have the pictures uploaded to a cloud but I am not in agreement with your albergue expectations. I do not expect albergues who charge, what? €10-15 to install cameras or necessarily have a keycard system. I also would not expect them to have signs warning of potential theft.

We are all adults and are responsible for our own belongings. If you have ever travelled you should/would know to be careful, on the Camino or anywhere else. It's best to have your personal items on your person, especially when sleeping.

And a hospitalera (I have volunteered on 6 occasions and had an albergue) is not responsible for theft. On my watch in Albergue San Nicolás de Flüe in Ponferrada 4 locked bikes were stolen at night. The 4 Spanish boys went straight to the Police to report the crime and luckily were able to continue their Camino on foot. This past July I was pleased to see that bikes are now kept in the basement of the albergue for extra protection.

 

[JSwalker134]

Of course it is very unfortunate what happened to you and I hope that you retrieve your phone or at least have the pictures uploaded to a cloud but I am not in agreement with your albergue expectations. I do not expect albergues who charge, what? €10-15 to install cameras or necessarily have a keycard system. I also would not expect them to have signs warning of potential theft.

We are all adults and are responsible for our own belongings. If you have ever travelled you should/would know to be careful, on the Camino or anywhere else. It's best to have your personal items on your person, especially when sleeping.

And a hospitalera (I have volunteered on 6 occasions and had an albergue) is not responsible for theft. On my watch in Albergue San Nicolás de Flüe in Ponferrada 4 locked bikes were stolen at night. The 4 Spanish boys went straight to the Police to report the crime and luckily were able to continue their Camino on foot. This past July I was pleased to see that bikes are now kept in the basement of the albergue for extra protection.

Sorry to get back late, Just wanted to add here, you can get a camera system on Amazon for less than 50 euros, it's not an insane investment in return for providing security. Doorcode entry system not much more (I've checked). If the cameras was working there would probably be 100% chance the Guardia Civil would have got the perp, but because the hospitalero couldn't be bothered to fix/replace the camera its most likely the guy is still preying on pilgrims in the Fisterra area. Sure albergues aren't responsible for theft, but on a collective level you do kinda have a duty to the community, especially if bad experiences cause people to stop coming on the camino, and not recommend other people to walk, then the whole camino community suffers.

Also I have noticed a lot of the municipal albergues have signs up warning about looking after personal possessions, advising you to keep them with you in bed etc. It all suggests there are lots of incidents, but it's not told to the pilgrims because people want to cover it up.

But anyway, to repeat again, I've travelled in far more unsafe countries than Spain and I never had any problems, I guess I just got unlucky. But I just didn't expect petty theft to be a problem in a first world country where the value of the phone is so low, if I was able to, literally would have paid the thief the value of the phone to get my phone back, so he can get his drug fix or whatever, and I can not have my life massively interrupted and lose precious memories and photos of my departed relative.

 

[VNwalking]

It all suggests there are lots of incidents, but it's not told to the pilgrims because people want to cover it up.

Perhaps hosts are just busy and assume people can read.

But I just didn't expect petty theft to be a problem in a first world

Theft happens everywhere. The Camino and Spain are normal places, with both good people and bad people.

I'm very sorry you had to learn that the hard way, @JSwalker134 . Very sad to lose precious photos. But it's good you have put the warning out there so people do read and believe those signs.

 

[LTfit]

Sorry to get back late, Just wanted to add here, you can get a camera system on Amazon for less than 50 euros, it's not an insane investment in return for providing security. Doorcode entry system not much more (I've checked). If the cameras was working there would probably be 100% chance the Guardia Civil would have got the perp, but because the hospitalero couldn't be bothered to fix/replace the camera its most likely the guy is still preying on pilgrims in the Fisterra area. Sure albergues aren't responsible for theft, but on a collective level you do kinda have a duty to the community, especially if bad experiences cause people to stop coming on the camino, and not recommend other people to walk, then the whole camino community suffers.

Also I have noticed a lot of the municipal albergues have signs up warning about looking after personal possessions, advising you to keep them with you in bed etc. It all suggests there are lots of incidents, but it's not told to the pilgrims because people want to cover it up.

But anyway, to repeat again, I've travelled in far more unsafe countries than Spain and I never had any problems, I guess I just got unlucky. But I just didn't expect petty theft to be a problem in a first world country where the value of the phone is so low, if I was able to, literally would have paid the thief the value of the phone to get my phone back, so he can get his drug fix or whatever, and I can not have my life massively interrupted and lose precious memories and photos of my departed relative.

I didn't want to repeat myself again but I still disagree with the idea that albergues should have a video surveillance system installed. Even if free, I wouldn't want one in my albergue. It supposes that you are expecting untoward incidents.

 

[Tincatinker]

Would anyone really want to sleep anywhere conscious that a camera was monitoring and recording their every moment?
And how does a camera prevent an opportunist thief from seizing the moment?
Pilgrims should not seek to transfer responsibility for the security of their possessions to hospitalero/a, Albergue operators, or the ever mysterious “Camino authorities”. The responsibility is theirs and theirs alone.

 

[JabbaPapa]

This is really hard for me because it had photos of the last few weeks

This is the horrid thing about this stuff.

The only workaround really is :

1) Organise automatic upload to some cloud service. So keep 99% no matter what happens.

2) Immediately contact your ISP/phone company, report the theft, and get the phone killed ASAP Do not wait even 5 minutes. Do it instantly.

 

[Bradypus]

2) Immediately contact your ISP/phone company, report the theft, and get the phone killed ASAP Do not wait even 5 minutes. Do it instantly.

There may be a Catch-22 there....

 

[JabbaPapa]

Would anyone really want to sleep anywhere conscious that a camera was monitoring and recording their every moment?

Welcome to the 21st Century !!

 

[JabbaPapa]

There may be a Catch-22 there....

No.

I speak from experience.

Obviously, I could not report anything from my own stolen phone, but that was not the only phone in existence.

 

[LTfit]

Welcome to the 21st Century !!

By shrugging our shoulders we are accepting this as normal. It isn't. And if we collectively decide that we won't stay in albergues with video cameras, an albergue owner might have second thoughts about having one. Power in numbers.

 

[SabsP]

By shrugging our shoulders we are accepting this as normal. It isn't. And if we collectively decide that we won't stay in albergues with video cameras, an albergue owner might have second thoughts about having one. Power in numbers.

Indeed! And I want to be clearly informed by an albergueowner when he/ she has a video surveillance. It is btw mandatory with GDPR.
So I know that I can avoid that place.

 

[Washie]

I didn't know Finisterre had a reputation for drugs or crime. I can cope with theft but someone being in the dorm with a knife and possibly on drugs is a different story and very scary. Can anyone confirm (or hopefully deny) this reputation? I am walking there next week with my 2 teenage sons and staying there for a little holiday at the end in a private albergue as it is beside the ocean. I'm nervous now about my sons walking around there. They are 15 and 19 years old so naturally won't want me hanging around with them in the evening. I have never felt unsafe on a Camino, but take the usual precautions.

 

[SabsP]

I didn't know Finisterre had a reputation for drugs or crime. I can cope with theft but someone being in the dorm with a knife and possibly on drugs is a different story and very scary. Can anyone confirm (or hopefully deny) this reputation? I am walking there next week with my 2 teenage sons and staying there for a little holiday at the end in a private albergue as it is beside the ocean. I'm nervous now about my sons walking around there. They are 15 and 19 years old so naturally won't want me hanging around with them in the evening. I have never felt unsafe on a Camino, but take the usual precautions.

Please do not worry! This incident was quite exceptional. There is more chance ( though I hope not ) to be hit by a passing car.
Enjoy your Camino!

 

[WGroleau]

Would anyone really want to sleep anywhere conscious that a camera was monitoring and recording their every moment?

Not me. Moreover, a single camera is very little deterrent. Without at least one other camera (or a mirror), it is simple to cover the lens or cut the cable or break it without getting in front of the lens. And if you do it in the dark with your face covered, …

Even if there are many cameras, if a thief can get into the room where the computer is recording the images.

And if you prevent all of that, power can be cut off from outside somewhere.

On the other hand, item three of “Lessons learned by one young Peruano” in https://happyhobo.net/2016/03/11/lessons-learned-in-peru/

 

[Lurch]

Be cognizant of your surrounding, rely on your instincts, and practice the art of self reliance. Thieves and others rely on you not doing any of these. Be your own cop and/or detective. A little precaution goes a long way!

 

[TravellingMan22]

My phone was stolen by a man with a knife in an albergue in Fisterra, about 4 weeks ago, from my bed while I was sleeping. I saw the thread discussing it here that was subsequently closed. on advice of a friend back home I made a post on the Reddit subreddit for the Camino, as I did not know about this forum. Links below:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/xpost-from-the-camino-subreddit-report-from-6-days-ago-of-knife-robbery-in-a-fisterra-albergue.81799/

https://www.reddit.com/r/CaminoDeSantiago/comments/14pfyhp

The phone was stolen from my bed at about 4am, I'm usually very careful about my possessions, never had anything stolen from me in my life even in places more dangerous than Spain. I was sleeping in the bed, woke up hearing some noise (quite a light sleeper, saw a person next to my bed who said 'Hola' to me and hurriedly walked out, I thought it might be another pilgrim but the speed he moved at made me suspicious, so I jumped out of bed, followed him out of the room and into the street. I also worried that he had taken my laptop, which he was probably trying to take as well as my phone, both were on my bed. Unfortunately I wasn't wearing my glasses and had no shoes on, so I couldn't get far, at some point he dropped a knife, which the Guardia Civil later recovered, and I hoped they might have been able to trace some DNA/fingerprints from it, but I don't know what they have done.

The Guardia Civil searched the area but no luck, told me to sleep a few hours (I didn't ofc) then in the daytime took me to their station, took statements, showed me mugshots etc but I wasn't sure, also I was too shaken. I didn't speak Spanish beyond essentials for a peregrino and they didn't speak much English, I spoke briefly with a telephone translator and with translate app on their phone, but it wasn't an easy conversation. For example I wanted ask them if they could trace the phone via triangulation of the cellular network or the GPS, because it's still had battery and was possible to call my phone for about 24 hours. (I tried phoning repeatedly on a borrowed phone and my friends in the UK phoned the phone and left messages, hoping that I could pay the thief to get my phone back). But basically I didn't feel they handled the situation well, I was on my own and sleep deprived and shaken up.

The albergue I stayed in did not lock the door at night (in Fisterra a lot of people go to watch the sunset and don't get back til late at night), the door did not have a code, and it did not have a working security camera (it was inactive). Also the hospitalerio had a work laptop visible in the reception and the thief did not steal that, it suggest to me he deliberately targets pilgrims. I was the only person in my room in the albergue, it was mostly empty that time. The hospitalerio said it was up to me to lock the door at night, but she didn't explain in English or even have a written sign. She was very kind to me after it happened, but I felt the people running it (small family one I guess) didn't do enough to ensure the security of the albergue. They also didn't seem very surprised when it happened, after I told a staff member they just pointed to a sign saying they took no responsibility for stolen items, which is understandable, but to me it suggests that thefts are common, and if so they need to do something to protect your guests.

This is really hard for me because it had photos of the last few weeks of a relatives life, photos from the funeral, also photos of some of their possessions that were to be disposed of or given away. I don't think I backed these up (yes, silly of me, but I really didn't expect to lose a device on the camino) Basically after dealing with a difficult bereavement process this year, I decided to do a short camino as part of the healing process. The phone itself was not even high value (120 euros new) and had a crack in the screen, so I don't see what resale value the thief would get from it. I would have paid about the cost of the phone brand new to get it back, and I asked around in Fisterra if anyone could get it back I would pay 100 euros for it. Also another loss is contacts I'd made with people on the Camino, I don't think I can back these up unless I can find where I wrote the password my google account. But anyway, apparently Fisterra has a reputation for drug addicts and thefts, this is something I had heard from many people on the Santiago-Muxia-Fisterra caminos to be careful in Fisterra because of thieves.. Apparently the night before there was a robbery in the municipal albergue, although the thief had been caught (because they have cameras)

The only good thing is that most people you meet on the Camino are good people, wonderful people, and talking to people helped me a lot. It basically ruined my Camino experience, and it brought the death of my relative back to me. I've pretty much given up on getting the phone returned (hopefully I should be able to find the IMEI number and get the phone deactivated so people will be discouraged not to buy stolen phones). Other than that, I'm not sure I can really encourage other people to do a camino now, unless they are extremely careful and don't take anything valuable/sentimental, buy a cheap disposable phone before for example. Also yes I was disappointed by the Guardia Civil's response and lack of English (in an area with lots of international tourists and piligrims) because the fact the phone was still on for 24 hours or so after it happened meant there was a chance of it getting recovered.

I was sorry to hear of your incident and wish you all the best as you move forward after your very difficult time. Please don’t reproach yourself for getting ‘caught out’. I class myself about as safety and travel savvy as it’s possible to get, and along with suffering from paranoia, means I go over the top ( if that’s possible) with precautions.

But I have been caught a number of times, from a knife at throat incident to few pickpocketings, often at notorious locations, or by maybe going places that carry risk and where everyday tourists don’t go.

The Caminos are extremely safe as are albergues but of course it’s a transient group, with folks sharing communal space with people they don’t know so things will happen. You are effectively sleeping with strangers. Go from from A to B in get taxis, stay in a 5 star hotel with security guards, CCTV and safety deposit box and guess what, you improve your personal security. But that’s not what we are about. Thankfully most of the events are minor although they term is relative and of no solace to the victim and the ‘empty’ felling of being robbed. And whist I know people mean well, let’s be careful not to ‘victim-blame’ with our posts.

 

[C clearly]

But I have been caught a number of times, from a knife at throat incident to few pickpocketings, often at notorious locations, or by maybe going places that carry risk and where everyday tourists don’t go.

Please clarify if you are suggesting that this has happened to you on the Camino.

 

[TravellingMan22]

Please clarify if you are suggesting that this has happened to you on the Camino.

Ooh Apologies! I wasn’t clear. No it didn’t! Come to think of it I have not had an issue with anything or anyone on the 3 Caminos I have done. Not one rude or unfriendly person, crazy cyclist, in fact I can’t even remember a hard core snorer, a middle of the night alarm person, or a crisp bag rustler.

 

[dick bird]

The interesting thing about this thread is the lack of posters saying ‘that happened to me too’.

I was robbed once, but not on the Camino. My shoulder bag vanished from under the eyes and noses of four people sitting around a cafe table as comprehensively as if it had been teletransported to a parallel universe. With it went my passport, traveller’s cheques, diary, beloved camera and a woolly sweater I was rather fond of. I was incandescently angry for days. But there was nothing I, or a very overstretched police force could do. But I survived. Shit really does happen. Some people lose their entire home and contents to a fire or incoming missile. They carry on. As Socrates said, the best revenge is a good life. That’s all I have to say.

 

[JSwalker134]

I didn't know Finisterre had a reputation for drugs or crime. I can cope with theft but someone being in the dorm with a knife and possibly on drugs is a different story and very scary. Can anyone confirm (or hopefully deny) this reputation? I am walking there next week with my 2 teenage sons and staying there for a little holiday at the end in a private albergue as it is beside the ocean. I'm nervous now about my sons walking around there. They are 15 and 19 years old so naturally won't want me hanging around with them in the evening. I have never felt unsafe on a Camino, but take the usual precautions.

I think they will be ok with the usual precautions, also don't stay out too late at night. Just make sure your albergue has adequate security and hide your valuables even in bed.

 

[TravellingMan22]

The interesting thing about this thread is the lack of posters saying ‘that happened to me too’…. And give the debates and anger folks show on here about the most minor things, it ain’t just me!

I was robbed once, but not on the Camino. My shoulder bag vanished from under the eyes and noses of four people sitting around a cafe table as comprehensively as if it had been teletransported to a parallel universe. With it went my passport, traveller’s cheques, diary, beloved camera and a woolly sweater I was rather fond of. I was incandescently angry for days. But there was nothing I, or a very overstretched police force could do. But I survived. Shit really does happen. Some people lose their entire home and contents to a fire or incoming missile. They carry on. As Socrates said, the best revenge is a good life. That’s all I have to say.

Yes but personally i have always found it difficult to adopt a ‘it could have been worse’ mentality and given the debates we get into on here about the most minor of inconveniences, many others do too!

Ironically the worse thing that happened to me (knife to the throat in Brazil) was the one that I brushed off easiest! It happened very quickly, not much was taken so I didn’t have to actively do anything, so I moved on very quickly. Yet other stuff like a pickpocket on a metro was worse as l lost money, passport, etc and had to spend time sorting it out, and I felt more ‘invaded’ as they would have a picture of me and so on.

On the upside last two attempts to pickpocket me
have both failed!!!

 

[JSwalker134]

I didn't want to repeat myself again but I still disagree with the idea that albergues should have a video surveillance system installed. Even if free, I wouldn't want one in my albergue. It supposes that you are expecting untoward incidents.

Ok, I understand that perspective. I just think it's better to prevent something happening than dealing with the fallout afterwards. Also I guess it's place dependent, if you are in a camino in a small village I guess you are safer, but in somewhere like one of the larger towns/cities with more people passing through , then it's perhaps a good idea.

 

[C clearly]

I will close this thread now. I think we have exhausted the information to be obtained from this unfortunate incident. People should take reasonable precautions to protect themselves and their belongings. They should report incidents to the police. Albergue operators should be aware of all incidents and take appropriate measures, as well.

Please browse through the "Safety and Security on the Camino" threads (click on those words above the title of this thread) for further discussion.