# Be aware whilst driving through Madrid Police impersonators



## teemyob

Hello everyone,

Just back from France and Spain for 3 weeks and had a great trip. Whilst driving through Madrid...................

It was 3:10pm Sunday 30th October and the six of us had just had lunch at a very quiet motorway stop inbetween the tolls on the new R4 Radial ring road, having just paid our 5 Euros 30. It was very quiet and it seemed most of the Spanish were having siesta or using the old A4. We had only just paid our second toll of 1 euros 30 and headed into Madrid when I noticed in my passenger side mirror we were being shadowed by a white Chrysler Neon in the middle lane for around 2 miles. Then they accelerated to the side of us, and the passenger a balding Man around 45-50 years old held what was to be a fake Police photo ID to the window and pointed towards the hard shoulder suggesting that we should pull over. 
Not being as green as I am cabbage looking I indicated and pulled half way onto the hard shoulder to give the impression I was going to stop. The driver of the Chrysler who's face I did not see was wearing a yellow high vis jacket. He slowed right down and I then immediately accelerated hard into the middle lane. The driver of the car then realised they had been sussed accelerated and shot off left toward Madrid city centre whilst I carried on around Madrid. It all happened so fast the only part of his reg I got was "M" indicating it was the old style Spanish Registration indicating Madrid origin.

From what I can only assume is that they may not have realised our vehicle was right hand drive and whilst initially following us may have assumed that my passenger was driving (male, small build and early twenties) and that as I said when they realised I had no intention of stopping fled rapidly from the scene.

Incident number 2

The Chrysler was nowhere to be seen through Madrid's maze of diverted ring road and by around 3:40 we were heading out of Madrid on the A1 in the direction of Burgos. I then became aware that a Silver Audi A4 was tailing us for a good few miles. I was following one of the few large trucks that were on the road at around 55mph. When the traffic thinned to just our 3 vehicles, the driver of the Audi switched on some blue flashing
lights that were hidden behind his radiator grill. I continued driving and he then straddled both of the lanes and he started to flash his lights for me to pull over, still I continued but this time I indicated and pulled into the outside lane and overtook the truck in front of us. The Audi did not follow, he turned off all his lights and left the motorway.!

Well we had intended to wildcamp somewhere before heading for the ferry at Bilbao the next day. However, this made me and my wife a bit uneasy so we ended up staying at a really nice all year campsite that I can highly recommend; COSTAJAN ARANDA DE DUERO <Alan Rogers Link>.

we did not report the incidents whilst in Spain but are considering emailing this English Text to www.policia.es or does anyone have any better suggestions?

Take Care!
Trev


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## JustRadio

Well emailing the text is the best you can do. I'm interested to know why you didn't "fall" for the scam. I speak Spanish, though it's a long time since I lived there, (the Dictator still lived then), and I think if I thought I was being flagged I probably would stop. I don't think I could tell a good badge from a bad badge in a moving vehicle.

Had they been genuine would you not have been in deep doo-dah?


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## geraldandannie

I've heard of this before. In contrast to certain other 'warnings to foreign tourists', this has hard, personal evidence from a number of people.

I like to think I'd do the same, unless the vehicle was a marked police car. Well done, Trev.

Gerald


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## teemyob

*Fakes*



neverrememberit said:


> Well emailing the text is the best you can do. I'm interested to know why you didn't "fall" for the scam. I speak Spanish, though it's a long time since I lived there, (the Dictator still lived then), and I think if I thought I was being flagged I probably would stop. I don't think I could tell a good badge from a bad badge in a moving vehicle.
> 
> Had they been genuine would you not have been in deep doo-dah?


I did not fall for the scams for the following reasons:

Both Vehicles were Unmarked and early registred older models around 1996, so as far as I am concenrened the Police would not usually use older and in the case of the Chrysler low powered vehilces for traffic use (unmarked).

The car stayed level at our window for a while whilst showing the Id. My front seat and rear seat passengers all agreed and informed me after the event that the larger type ID stated "Policia". The reason I say fake obviously Fake ID is that it was just that, otherwise why did they disapear and give up?.

I guess I took an educated risk in that if they did give chase or call for backup, I had obvious reasons for doubting thier authenticicty due to thier lack of markings or uniform. In any case I would of only stopped for them when I had reached a Service station or other public place.

In the past I have worked on unmarked Police vehicles in the UK, so am very aware of their existence. In fact you would be amazed at what makes models and types of vehicles are on todays roads. Full of cameras watching you. Our Local Police force use an everyday Family MPV disguised with GB & holiday stickers, Kids on board signs, My other car is a Porsche etc. But it has a Powerful V6 engine and £1000's of pounds worth of tracking gear, cameras and technology instead of seats behinds it's dark smoked windows!

However, I have always told my wife and educatae my kids who are taking driving lessons NEVER to stop for unmarked vehicles just anywhere. My advice is drive to a Public Place, nearest police or fire station if known and sound the horn. If they turn out to be real Police you can always argue your case in court. After all I would rather them do that than come to any harm.

In answer to your question Deep Dooh Dar, No doubtfull under the circumstances.

Trev


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## LPDrifter

Thanks for sharing the experience. I read a letter in one of the magazines of a very similar occurence to another British couple. This time in Italy and the couple were in robbed of money.

As I plan to tour extensively on the continent it is a subject I am interested in. I like to think I would have acted in the same way as you did.. ie trust your instincts and keep going.

I think I would, if I did not see the individuals driving a clearly marked police car. This might get me in trouble if it really were the police driving in an unmarked car, but I think I would rather risk pleading with the law than pleading with a road pirate/gangster.

It would be really helpful to find out if someone was in fact stopped by a genuine unmarked police car, and if there are any guidelines to identify the real thing from the fake....other than go on your gut instincts.

Cheers


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## 101180

We've travelled through Spain a couple of times over the winter period and certainly enjoyed our time there. Problem is we have never felt completely at ease. 
My wife is part Spanish and both of us speak the lingo fluently but my accent is a bit off ! 

We met a couple who were drugged, or gassed, at a motorway cafe area and robbed of all their jewellery and travel money. The Guardia report, which we interpreted for them, indicated that they had been drugged in or outside the cafe, possibly in their motorhome. The report was a bit vague however the couple told us the Guardia were very helpful and indicated such attacks in the Barcelona area were not unusual.

We sometimes watch the Spanish news at home via SKY. There was a recent report which stated that there was a significant increase in the rate of crime against foreign owned property and campervans.
You obviously did the right thing. Amazes me why people would choose to wildcamp in Spain.

Whilst travelling through France last year we were also flashed by a vehicle behind us. The driver pulled alongside us and started pointing downwards towards the tyres. Everything felt normal inside the vehicle so we kept going. I think I shouted something at him ! So later on, when the coast was clear we pulled over. I checked the vehicle at the front and all was ok. At the back, on the bike rack, my wife's bra, underwear, socks and a towel were still attached to the frame and surprisingly completely dry. I lost a pair of underwear but we didn't go back and have a look.


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## gaspode

jhon said:


> At the back, on the bike rack, my wife's bra, underwear, socks and a towel were still attached to the frame and surprisingly completely dry. I lost a pair of underwear but we didn't go back and have a look.


 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I Like that one jhon.

I just hope that your wife's pants weren't as modestly constructed as the ones that found their way onto JimM's flagpole at the Binton rally - you'd have noticed a distinct drop in the MPG with the drag factor otherwise. :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Boff

Hi,

one hint from the German automobile association is: If you are in such a situation, ask one of your passengers to take photos of the "police car", or at least pretend to make a call on the mobile phone. If they then speed off, you know for sure that they were fake. And giving the photos later to the real police might help them getting control over this pest.

Once when we had just crossed the French border coming from Germany we had this: We were driving on a minor road. 3 cars stood on the kerb some 100 metres in front of us, 2 of them had their bonnet open. Several men stood around and one of them was trying to flag down other drivers. There was one car in front of us, which almost came to a stop, but then accelerated very hard again. That made me even more suspicious, so I asked my wife on the passenger seat to pull out her mobile phone and pretend to make a call. She did so, and when the man tried to flag us down he suddenly realized this. Immediately he shouted something to the others, they closed the bonnets, all jumped into the cars and sped away in the opposite direction. I do not really believe that it was the mobile phone's electromagnetic field that made their engines run again... :twisted:

I am not fully sure about Spain, but I think the rules for real police work are the same as in e.g. Germany or Netherlands: Using unmarked (or even "disguised") vehicles for traffic observation is quite commonplace, however the officers inside *must wear uniform!* And these unmarked vehicles are usually packed full with hi-tech, including an LED display in the rear window where they can display written orders or at least a "Kojak-style" magnetic blue flashlight that they put on the roof.

Of course, all these things, even the uniforms, could be faked, but showing an "ID card" out of the window while driving is absolutely unprofessional behaviour and a quite strong indication that something is very dodgy.

Best Regards,
Gerhard


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## Rapide561

*Spain*

Hi

This is a rather worry post and a topic which is touched upon in the Go motorhoming europe book.

The incident in the book tells of a burning oily rag thrown near the RV to make it look like the van is on fire. You stop, get out and get robbed.

In Italy, I have had experience of attempted coach robbings but usually are able to stem them off.

Here are a couple of examples.

You arrive in Flornece at the "Piazzale Michel Angelo" - the relpica of David that over looks the city. You park up and are approached by an attendant for parking money. You pay up. You later learn it is free parking there and the attendant was a XXXX head just after your money.

In Rome, several attempts were made to gain access to the coach by robbers trying to open the centre door - whilst on the move at low speed. On the first attempt, the passenger sat near by pushed and pulled the door and got it closed.

On the second attempt the robber was hit with a walking stick!

The risky part of doing a city tour by coach was more about robbery than the Roman traffic.

We have even had attempted break ins in the parking terminal adjacent to the Basilica in Rome. It was always safer to drop people off and take the coach away from the city.

Rapide561


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## Enodreven

Hi, Do you think in the case of the ?? Police ?? it would perhaps be worth having a piece of paper printed with the words "I WILL NOT STOP BUT I WILL FOLLOW YOU TO THE NEAREST POLICE STATION" or something similar in the language of the country you are in ? just a thought ??


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## Rapide561

*Police*



Enodreven said:


> Hi, Do you think in the case of the ?? Police ?? it would perhaps be worth having a piece of paper printed with the words "I WILL NOT STOP BUT I WILL FOLLOW YOU TO THE NEAREST POLICE STATION" or something similar in the language of the country you are in ? just a thought ??


Hi

Excellent idea.

For anyone not speaking the language of their destination country, use www.google.co.uk and then language tools. Translate it, type it up in fairly big letters and keep a few copies in the glove box.

Rapide561


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## Don_Madge

These incidents have been going on for a good many years and many people have been caught out.

The Spanish police have set up an emergency phone number with English
speaking staff for tourists (902-10 21 12) offering round the clock
assistance in Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Seville and Valencia
regions.

I understand the facility has been in operation for quite a few years now. I've never had to us the system and I'm not sure if it's still in operation, maybe one of our expats could check it out.

Don


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## altair

Could we have a translation from a spanish speaker please 
Google appears to give

I WILL NOT STOP BUT THAT I WILL FOLLOW YOU THE NEARER POLICE STATION OF POLICE

when translated into spanish and back to english. Bablefish does better but how do you know which is best

The correct expression would probably confer a degree of nous that would put off the criminal element better than a pidgin translation
A


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## Suenliam

Don - hope someone confirms the system is still in operation. We always stay in France, but would like to explore outside our comfort zone so this sort of info. is most practical. We have seen the several cars with bonnet up brigade near Dunquerke, but did not fall for it. Surprisingly, my usually completely non-suspicious OH spotted the scam immediately! 

Altar - there must be loads of fluent European language speakers on here at some time or another. I can only offer Scots to English translations, I'm afraid  

Sue


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## Mat7

Surly the danger of a sign like that is that the crims will lead you off the motorway and to a dead end road and block you in and then rob you!

a better sign would be I WILL STOP WHEN I FEEL SAFE

Just a thought? 

Cheers Matt 8O :roll: 8O :roll:


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## 100547

an incident which happened to some friends of mine about 4 years ago they were travelling by car in france, they came off the ferry and stopped at the first services they came to went in for something to eat &drink, when they left about a mile down the road they realised all was not well with the car, they pulled onto the hard shoulder got out of the car to see they had a puncture, immediatly a car pulled up behind them, out jumped 3 guys & a girl they were all very concerned for my friends, they said they would help change the wheel,there was a lot of rushing to unload all the luggage,while they were doing this the girl got inside the car and took my mates wifes handbag and started to run away down the hard shoulder my mate started to go after her and before he new it they had loaded up the cases and made off in their own car whizzing past him and picked up the girl and zoomed off. he eventually changed the wheel and made his way to the nearest police station to report this,to his amazment his cases had arrived at the police station before him, apparently handed in by someone who had found them on the side of the road. needless to say they had been rifled but there was only clothes inside,so they only got away with the wifes handbag but it did have all their cash&credit cards in it the police said it was quite a common crime(they had wedged a nail against the tyre) my friend said the police were so matter of fact about it he wouldnt have been surprised if they knew something about it.astra


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## Pusser

We had a similar incident coming back home near Rheims famous for loads of paper.

A car tried 3 times to get us to run in the back of it and it was only because I coulldn't hit a barn door if I tried that we avoided a nasty experience.

But the most frightening was driving back home late one night in the missus company car which at the time was a a top range Senator coming over the moorland near Dunstable by the college I cannot remember.

A man flagged us down in pitch black and was giving the appearance of being drunk. He mate was urinating in the bushes by the side of the road.

I slowed right down, unwound the window and just as he was approaching shot of like the clappers. Up a hill I went and down the other side, round a bend and five cars shot in front of us length ways across the road. There was one small gap I estimated I could get through if I was prepared to get both sides of the car scratched and I put my headlights full on, jammed the gas pedal to the floor and just when I was about to find out if I could get through the hole they drove of the road in panic.

Phoned up the police and reported the incident only for them to ring back and tell us they were all police cars who thought I was a wanted man.

"Me - a wanted man?" :roll: 

End of the story was that they be all given a good rollicking because they should have put on wander lights which I presume means blue ones.

I was Heathers hero for over five minutes, even though she had a lot of extra washing to do when we got home.


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## solentviews

Maybe "I will follow you to the next service/toll area"
Ian


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## 89017

We had an incident just north of Madrid, heading south (2004).
Driving along the dual carriageway minding our own business, when up ahead I can see two dark coloured cars parked up on the slip road.
There was a chap standing half way into the nearside lane, dressed in what looked like a Spanish policemans hat and a whistle to his mouth beckoning us to slow down and pull off the carriageway.
Well, what do you do? You have to make an instant decision and my gut reaction was to put my foot down and carry on.
He leapt off the road before I had a chance to mow him down and I could see in my mirror he was leaping up and down in anger and waving his fist.
If he had been a real policeman then I'm sure we wouldn't have got far down the road before we got surrounded by flashing blue lights.

On our way home a month late we were involved in a road rage incident.
We were trailing our Smart car on a trailer so we were running at close on 5000 kg gross. In other words a bit slow on the hills, especially where we were, being just south of Burgos. 
I checked my mirrors (nothing behind)and proceeded to overtake a slower truck trying to keep our momentum going. The speed differential was quite small.
Before I knew it a black Peugeot 406 which must have travelling at about 100 mph came right up to our back bumper flashing his lights for us to get out of his way. I was nearly past the truck at this time so carried on.
When i pulled into the nearside lane the car pulled up alongside, window came down and he threw a shoe at our passenger window. Yes, a shoe!!!! Never the less it frightened my wife because it hit her window with such a thud I'm surprised the window didn't smash. Lookiong back though, it's quite amusing!
bob


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## 106090

*MANY THANK,S FOR NUMBER WILL TRAVEL SAFER*

The Spanish police have set up an emergency phone number with English
speaking staff for tourists (902-10 21 12) offering round the clock
assistance in Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Seville and Valencia
regions.

I understand the facility has been in operation for quite a few years now. I've never had to us the system and I'm not sure if it's still in operation, maybe one of our expats could check it out.

Don[/quote]


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## Detourer

Yes, it is still works and has done for years.....

BUT, you still need to report to a station of your choice later. The line is for really for info only..........but a great help if needed.


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## bjderbys

My wife and I are relatively new to motorhoming and have thought about travelling onto the continent probably France , Spain or Italy next year ,we but after reading some of the experiences of some the members we are having second thoughts and taking a long and hard look as to whether it is safe or not . 

John &Chris


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## autostratus

You should look at the thousands of us who do tour the continent without mishap and set that against the relative few who do have problems.

You will miss out on some great experiences if you confine your motorhoming to the UK.


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## eddied

Hi John and Chris, can understand your concerns, but please don't be put off by the experiences of a very small minority. Just take the same care you would take anywhere.
These are the same, or similar, concerns my wife has every time we have to travel to London!!
saluti,
eddied


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## billym

John and Chris.

Don't be put off by a few unhappy stories.

It is like watching Sky News and reading the newspapers. You think the whole world is doom and gloom....well it isn't and there is a whole wide world out there to explore safely.

As someone once said.............. you can always just stay at home and look out of the window.


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## bjderbys

Many thanks to (autostratus ),( eddied )and(billym) for the reassuring input we have decided that we will be giving a try next year.
Thanks again
John & Chris


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## teemyob

*Miss out*



autostratus said:


> You should look at the thousands of us who do tour the continent without mishap and set that against the relative few who do have problems.
> 
> You will miss out on some great experiences if you confine your motorhoming to the UK.


You should also take great care especialy in Spain and Italy. Yes I guess there are many thousands who do tour without a hitch. However, there are a great many who do have problems. Indeed I would love to see the true statistics.

I only mentioned two incidents in the initial posting. These were the two that related to the motorhome travel. I also managed by a twist of fate to avoid being mugged by two men and a pitbull near Javea. Three incidents in three weeks.

The problem with the Spanish authorities (Italian too) is the manyana moments. Extremely unproffesional and care free. If similar were to be happening here in the UK, I think the British Police Force and local authorities would be on the case straight away.

A great many of these incidents happen in the same areas. Often around major Cities. How many of these areas currently contain CCTV?.

My post was not intended to put anyone off, merely to make people more aware from our first hand experiences. We now wildcamp more than ever. When we look for a spot we look out for somewhere as far away from civilisation as possible.

Trev.


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## Texas

Enodreven said:


> Hi, Do you think in the case of the ?? Police ?? it would perhaps be worth having a piece of paper printed with the words "I WILL NOT STOP BUT I WILL FOLLOW YOU TO THE NEAREST POLICE STATION" or something similar in the language of the country you are in ? just a thought ??


What a great common sense idea, one which I would certainly use when 'abroad'. MHF could flog them in the accessory forum. 8O

Texas


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## asprn

Texas said:


> What a great common sense idea, one which I would certainly use when 'abroad'


I would personally use a much shorter message comprising of two words, the second of which would be "off". I'd also display it in English, French & Spanish just to be sure.

Dougie.


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## julie798

*bogus police*

This is a official reply from a query re this sublect: may help some people to understand a little more,

Further to our correspondance today regarding bogus police officers, we have contacted the Guardia Civil this afternoon in order to request any further information they may have to add to the advice we offered this morning.

They have confirmed to us that in all traffic related matters, police officers will be in uniform The vehicles used will also be the official police marked vehicles. If the vehicle is not obviously identifiable, it may be the vehicle equipped with radar to measure and monitor speed. In this case, on closer inspection, the vehicle should display a sign with "Guardia Civil" (usually electronic) on the rear side and / or blue light(s).

In all non-related traffic matters, the police officers may be dressed in plain clothes (e.g.the Secret Police).

Furthermore, whether police officers are or are not dressed in uniform, members of the public have the right to request that the officer identify themselves.

If still in doubt and as another resort, you can also contact the Police Emergency services on 062, provide the vehicle registration number and enquire as to whether the vehicle is registered as an official police vehicle.

I trust this information is of assistance.

Best Regards

Jessica Martínez 
Consular Officer 
British Consulate-General


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## JohnWebb

A car attempted to stop me when going round the Barcelona ring road last year. A passenger was leaning out of the window pointing at the back tyre and trying to guide me to the exit just ahead. I steered as if I was going up it so he pulled ahead. I then steered at him with horn on and he realised who was largest and accelerated away!


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## 95201

*read this if traveling to italy*

[align=center] hi all just thought i would warn any one going to italy of our experiance
in a place just north bari, having traveled france and spain and a few other countrys for 25 years, and have had some near misses of getting robbed, this has never detered us returning, but will never again go to italy,a beautiful country and so are the people, bar just a few,we was in rimini and went to bank,the tella ask my husband ron ] [/font]were we were traverling to, greece he says, then the warning came not to go anywere near bari, he said it is a very dangerous region, so ok we gets approx 25 km outside barrie, and goes into this very ouiet village and parked next to a bench were about 7 men were sat, as we parked our mh a man ran out of this small unit think he was a mechanic, we ask him were the pizza place was, had we looked across this small square we would have seen it, i can say from than on it was a nightmare, the mechanic man ran in to this pizza shop, than all what must have been the staff ran out to the back of the building, than a giant of a man came towards the van opened the drivers door and dragged me out,to say we were teriffied is an understatement, i dont know why with his rolex fine clothes and jewelry he would be intrested in our duetto, as he looked like a man of means, this happened very ouickly, and ron like me didn't realize what was happening at first, well i kid you not this giant had to bend down to sit in the seat he was huge, all the time this was happening the men on the bench next to me did nothing, there was also a few houses, a couple of shops were people could see what was happening to us, everything was so surreal, as the van was being driven by the giant, i was banging on the door and managed to open the drivers side, your going to like this, we both jumped on the man, ron who was frantic by now,was trying to push kick him out and shouting at me to get in the side door, no chance, this maniac was still driving the van while i was trying to pull him out, than as we turned the corner all the men workers stood next to two large wooden doors, waiting for the van to be driven in, to the left there was traffic lights with about 4 cars waiting, could see some concerned faces, this i might add was all in slow motion to me,think ron thought the same as me and we really went for him, screaming what he was going to do to the giant, and at the same time we were pushing hitting him,thought we had nothing to lose at this stage, and i we would have gladly givern them the mh but than what would have happened to us, the giant to our surprise than got out the van full of scratches and i recon one big headache, i jam sure these lights saved us,with that i jumped in the drivers seat, and have never drove like a bat out of hell before or since, on the way home ron went back in the same bank, the tella ask him did you have a nice time, when ron told him all the gory details, the tella seemed upset and told him if the police had been there they would have also turned a blind eye like the men on the bench, and you would have ended up in a pepperoni than putting his finger across his throut, lol when ron laughed at this he said he was deadly serious and said there is a lot of poverty in and around bari and also mafia run, and should have listenend to what he told us, and said he was very sorry that we had to go through such a harrowing time in his country, and hope it did not put us off going back, and like i said although i would love to go back i cannot yet, even after all this time, sorry this has been a long post, but thought i should share this horror story to warn others thinking of traveling this region, sounds like a crime novel but it happend to us, dont want to scare anyone going to this lovely country just be carful were you go, regards to all jean*ron


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## hogan

Don Madge said:


> These incidents have been going on for a good many years and many people have been caught out.
> 
> The Spanish police have set up an emergency phone number with English
> speaking staff for tourists (902-10 21 12) offering round the clock
> assistance in Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, Malaga, Seville and Valencia
> regions.
> 
> I understand the facility has been in operation for quite a few years now. I've never had to us the system and I'm not sure if it's still in operation, maybe one of our expats could check it out.
> 
> Don


As far as i can tell this number is still in operation.


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## aultymer

nickleress -Sorry guys I just can't read your, no doubt, informative post. 
My old eyes cannot follow umpteen lines of unpunctuated text on screen. If you could edit it and start a new paragraph every now and then it would help. 
I am sure there is something important in there.


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## hilldweller

*Re: read this if traveling to italy*

Free formatting service: ( since we are off to Italy and there may be something important buried in here ).

hi all just thought i would warn any one going to italy of our experiance
in a place just north bari, having traveled france and spain and a few other countrys for 25 years, and have had some near misses of getting robbed, this has never detered us returning, but will never again go to italy,a beautiful country and so are the people, bar just a few,we was in rimini and went to bank,the tella ask my husband ron.

were we were traverling to, greece he says, then the warning came not to go anywere near bari, he said it is a very dangerous region, so ok we gets approx 25 km outside barrie, and goes into this very ouiet village and parked next to a bench were about 7 men were sat, as we parked our mh a man ran out of this small unit think he was a mechanic, we ask him were the pizza place was.

had we looked across this small square we would have seen it, i can say from than on it was a nightmare, the mechanic man ran in to this pizza shop, than all what must have been the staff ran out to the back of the building, than a giant of a man came towards the van opened the drivers door and dragged me out,to say we were teriffied is an understatement.

i dont know why with his rolex fine clothes and jewelry he would be intrested in our duetto, as he looked like a man of means, this happened very ouickly, and ron like me didn't realize what was happening at first, well i kid you not this giant had to bend down to sit in the seat he was huge, all the time this was happening the men on the bench next to me did nothing, there was also a few houses, a couple of shops were people could see what was happening to us, everything was so surreal.

as the van was being driven by the giant, i was banging on the door and managed to open the drivers side, your going to like this, we both jumped on the man, ron who was frantic by now,was trying to push kick him out and shouting at me to get in the side door, no chance, this maniac was still driving the van while i was trying to pull him out, than as we turned the corner all the men workers stood next to two large wooden doors, waiting for the van to be driven in.

to the left there was traffic lights with about 4 cars waiting, could see some concerned faces, this i might add was all in slow motion to me,think ron thought the same as me and we really went for him, screaming what he was going to do to the giant, and at the same time we were pushing hitting him,thought we had nothing to lose at this stage, and i we would have gladly givern them the mh but than what would have happened to us.

the giant to our surprise than got out the van full of scratches and i recon one big headache, i jam sure these lights saved us,with that i jumped in the drivers seat, and have never drove like a bat out of hell before or since, on the way home ron went back in the same bank, the tella ask him did you have a nice time, when ron told him all the gory details, the tella seemed upset and told him if the police had been there they would have also turned a blind eye like the men on the bench, and you would have ended up in a pepperoni than putting his finger across his throut, lol

when ron laughed at this he said he was deadly serious and said there is a lot of poverty in and around bari and also mafia run, and should have listenend to what he told us, and said he was very sorry that we had to go through such a harrowing time in his country, and hope it did not put us off going back, and like i said although i would love to go back i cannot yet, even after all this time,

sorry this has been a long post, but thought i should share this horror story to warn others thinking of traveling this region, sounds like a crime novel but it happend to us, dont want to scare anyone going to this lovely country just be carful were you go,

regards to all jean*ron

=======================

Blimey, what an experience. We are staying oop north, thank goodness.


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## 95201

thanks for that brian, just got carried away and just wanted to get it off my chest so to speak, jeanxron


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## aultymer

Thanks from me too hilldweller. I honestly could not keep my finger on the right line trying to follow that post. 
nickleress, The information is priceless. 
Sorry I missread your name as Nickerless the first time!! Shows where my mind is!!
Please do not be put off Italy by this incident - most of the country is not like that, as far as I know. 
We have never managed to get beyond France in the MH but have had other holidays in Italy including, Sorrento, Lipary, Chiantishire and Garda and have had nothing but pleasure. 
On the other hand we were robbed or attacked 4 times in Barcelona -we won't go back there!! But we may well visit other areas of Spain.


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## teemyob

*Re: read this if traveling to italy*



nickleress said:


> [align=center] hi all just thought i would warn any one going to italy of our experiance
> in a place just north bari, having traveled france and spain and a few other countrys for 25 years, and have had some near misses of getting robbed, this has never detered us returning, but will never again go to italy,a beautiful country and so are the people, bar just a few,we was in rimini and went to bank,the tella ask my husband ron ] [/font]were we were traverling to, greece he says, then the warning came not to go anywere near bari, he said it is a very dangerous region, so ok we gets approx 25 km outside barrie, and goes into this very ouiet village and parked next to a bench were about 7 men were sat, as we parked our mh a man ran out of this small unit think he was a mechanic, we ask him were the pizza place was, had we looked across this small square we would have seen it, i can say from than on it was a nightmare, the mechanic man ran in to this pizza shop, than all what must have been the staff ran out to the back of the building, than a giant of a man came towards the van opened the drivers door and dragged me out,to say we were teriffied is an understatement, i dont know why with his rolex fine clothes and jewelry he would be intrested in our duetto, as he looked like a man of means, this happened very ouickly, and ron like me didn't realize what was happening at first, well i kid you not this giant had to bend down to sit in the seat he was huge, all the time this was happening the men on the bench next to me did nothing, there was also a few houses, a couple of shops were people could see what was happening to us, everything was so surreal, as the van was being driven by the giant, i was banging on the door and managed to open the drivers side, your going to like this, we both jumped on the man, ron who was frantic by now,was trying to push kick him out and shouting at me to get in the side door, no chance, this maniac was still driving the van while i was trying to pull him out, than as we turned the corner all the men workers stood next to two large wooden doors, waiting for the van to be driven in, to the left there was traffic lights with about 4 cars waiting, could see some concerned faces, this i might add was all in slow motion to me,think ron thought the same as me and we really went for him, screaming what he was going to do to the giant, and at the same time we were pushing hitting him,thought we had nothing to lose at this stage, and i we would have gladly givern them the mh but than what would have happened to us, the giant to our surprise than got out the van full of scratches and i recon one big headache, i jam sure these lights saved us,with that i jumped in the drivers seat, and have never drove like a bat out of hell before or since, on the way home ron went back in the same bank, the tella ask him did you have a nice time, when ron told him all the gory details, the tella seemed upset and told him if the police had been there they would have also turned a blind eye like the men on the bench, and you would have ended up in a pepperoni than putting his finger across his throut, lol when ron laughed at this he said he was deadly serious and said there is a lot of poverty in and around bari and also mafia run, and should have listenend to what he told us, and said he was very sorry that we had to go through such a harrowing time in his country, and hope it did not put us off going back, and like i said although i would love to go back i cannot yet, even after all this time, sorry this has been a long post, but thought i should share this horror story to warn others thinking of traveling this region, sounds like a crime novel but it happend to us, dont want to scare anyone going to this lovely country just be carful were you go, regards to all jean*ron


Hello there,

All sounds very Bizare to say the least. Does anyone else have any similar experiences in this region?.

Trev.


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## 101405

*getting stopped in Spain*

You do not get stopped by unmarked policia/ Guardia in cars in Spain if you are driving a M/h. unless your a criminal and it won't be by one of them,there will be lots ? If the guardia are using an unmarked and they do for speed traps the officers are in uniform, you do not stop at any time in europe unless the officers are in uniform, The police in Spain consist of
Policia local / employed by town council ect/ 
Policia national / mainly large crime/drugs ect/ large drug problem in spain 
Guardia civil/ roads / various duties / civil guard /similar to french gendarme. big problems in Spain with crime far worse than uk. Madrid give it a miss nothing much to see , use m30 -A4 fast no charge ,


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## teemyob

*Re: getting stopped in Spain*



silversurfa said:


> You do not get stopped by unmarked policia/ Guardia in cars in Spain if you are driving a M/h. unless your a criminal and it won't be by one of them,there will be lots ? If the guardia are using an unmarked and they do for speed traps the officers are in uniform, you do not stop at any time in europe unless the officers are in uniform, The police in Spain consist of
> Policia local / employed by town council ect/
> Policia national / mainly large crime/drugs ect/ large drug problem in spain
> Guardia civil/ roads / various duties / civil guard /similar to french gendarme. big problems in Spain with crime far worse than uk. Madrid give it a miss nothing much to see , use m30 -A4 fast no charge ,


Hello,

After our events I was talking to a Client of mine, She was stopped by three men in uniform east of Barcelona on the Motorway. She was alone but had her two German Sheperds with her, caged in the back of her car. The three men were driving a White Golf with a green bonnet. They approcahed her car and started asking questions, requesting identity papers, passports and such like. She smelt a rat and fled at speed to the nearest service station. They managed to rob her passport, some other documents and credit cards.
The Police arrived within minutes of the phone call from the Petrol Station Staff. They informed her that they had been looking for the car and the men for days and that she was one of several victims.

Trev.


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## 95201

why! aultymer you made me blush LOOK   :lol: anyway been triying to change my username but doesn't work for me 

when i go over my username with a new one and press submit,
my old one is still there, could anyone tell me why this is?

best whiches jean


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## 95201

me thinks should be BEST WISHES


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## aultymer

Dear Jean, I didn't know folk in E Yorkshire had the genes to cause blushing!!
But best whiches is is OK.

I am sure Nuke or someone more savy than I will be along to tell you how to change your name.


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## 95201

oh aultymer you will be surprised how many blushers there are in yorkshire big blushers little blushes, some of us have even led shelterd lives so must defo be in our jeans mean genes oh iiiiiiiii 8)


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## eddied

*Hijacked in Bari!*

:? Buon giorno Nickleress.
So sorry to hear of your bad experience in Apulia. It doesn't sound like the Apulia that I know. Please don't be put off by this because in that area there are lots of beautiful civilised places to visit, such as Alberobello, Castel del Monte, Castellana Grotte, Fasano, the Sassi di Matera etc. etc.

Do you remember the name of the 'small village' ? Because actually most villages in Apulia tend to be quite large. I'm wondering if you didn't by mischance blunder into and Albanian or Rom encampment.

Please come back sometime.
saluti,
eddied


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## solentviews

It was suggested some time ago that it would be useful to carry a set of cards in various languages saying something like " I WILL STOP AT THE NEXT TOLL/SERVICE AREA/TOWN"
Ian


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## hilldweller

nickleress said:


> thanks for that brian, just got carried away and just wanted to get it off my chest so to speak, jeanxron


Not without reason. It's so bizarre I went to sleep thinking "can that really have happened or is this the next J K Rowling".

My daughter "did" Italy a few years ago by push bike, on her own. Sicily, across to Bari, boat to Croatia flew out of Trieste and didn't have any problems. Mind you, the bike wasn't worth much.

I hope you get over this, Italy is too good to miss.

It pays to click "Preview" before all posts, it's amazing what that shows up.


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## 95201

Buon giorno eddied 8O no dont remember,
it has been totally formated :? from our memories, 
but would defo boot up 8O should we ever go near 
that god forsaken place again :roll: did we by mischance blunder into an Albanian or Rom encampment  and was really only a dream  nooooo this was a small village like i said 20/25 kl north of bari , but yes i would agree whole heartedly there are some beautiful places we visited  and the people were very nice and friendly,  ofcause we cannot tar them all with the same brush, its like anywere in the world{except an :wink: Albanian or Rom encampment } most of the human race are loving normal friendly people, but this place was like nowhere we have visited, 8O :evil: 

must be near Apulia as you seem to know the region, 
but must also be a well known black spot for the tella in the bank 
to have warned ron to stay away, should have heeded his warning to not even go near let alone in the place, 8O and all this to taste real a italian pizza.  :lol:


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## hilldweller

nickleress said:


> must be near Apulia


You are on a computer, will it run Google Earth ?

The resolution is not good in that area but you may be able to spot the town.

It wasn't 25k north of Bari unless you were wearing scuba gear


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## 95201

hilldweller so glad your daughter had a nice time, has for the jk rowling novel  got me thinking now, 

yes it would be lovely to go back, rons tried to talk me round,
8) maybe i will one day but to rimini, first,

and yes know what you mean about the preview thing, 
looking at my last post, 8O 

anyway get the ferry from hull in july, we are going to start off in eastern europe, poland etc. never been to this region, taking my rottie with us,
mind you anyone broke in i am sure he would show them around 8O 
so much like a baby, we have four pugs and they boss him around :evil: , poor teddy, lol


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## hilldweller

nickleress said:


> yes it would be lovely to go back, rons tried to talk me round, 8) maybe i will one day but to rimini, first,


We did that by bike a few years ago, it's right at the end of the motorway from the industrial north so I guess where the Italians go to play. Riccioni is lovely, lots of places to eat, busy, full of life. Sort of Brighton but with Italian style and weather.

It doesn't matter where you go these day, there's scum everywhere. We've all gone soft and "correct" at this end of Europe, no match at all for people who grew up in Bosnia and that region.

And thanks to the useless parasites in Westminster we cannot even cope with our own feral kids.


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## 111529

*madrid*

speaking from experience
this is a common occurance
in this area
there are other areas to be aware of valencia
tarragona and alicante and burgos
and be wary of pointing to parts of your van indacating 
problems with van
and they have been robbing any one with non spanish plates
qiute often

DO NOT STOP 
AS UNMARKED CARS WILL NOT HAVE AUTHORITY TO STOP YOU
if you are unsure pull in to petrol station 
and if the police want to stop you
they will be at side of road
there is a law that prevents police pulling you over on motorway
its not like uk
for this reason

and if some one does try to get you to pull over 
hold up a card in spanish saying you are telephoning the police

be careful out there


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## Scrappywoo

altair said:


> Could we have a translation from a spanish speaker please
> Google appears to give
> 
> I WILL NOT STOP BUT THAT I WILL FOLLOW YOU THE NEARER POLICE STATION OF POLICE
> 
> when translated into spanish and back to english. Bablefish does better but how do you know which is best
> 
> The correct expression would probably confer a degree of nous that would put off the criminal element better than a pidgin translation
> A


Having read all the advice on this topic I have done the following translation in the languages indicated. I am not a native speaker of these languages, so I don't know how good they are, but having used this particular website to translate emails for business, I would say it would be understood. If you would like to translate your own text, this is where I did it - http://freetranslation.paralink.com/

-----------

_I WILL NOT STOP BUT I WILL DRIVE TO THE NEAREST POLICE STATION / TOWN or SERVICE AREA - I AM CALLING THE POLICE FOR MORE INFORMATION NOW._
-----------

*Portuguese*
NÃO PARAREI MAS DIRIGIREI À ESTAÇÃO DE POLÍCIA MAIS PRÓXIMA / CIDADE ou ÁREA DE SERVIÇO - ESTOU CHAMANDO A POLÍCIA DE MAIS INFORMAÇÃO AGORA.

*Spanish*
NO ME PARARÉ PERO CONDUCIRÉ A LA COMISARÍA MÁS CERCANA / CIUDAD O ÁREA DE SERVICIO - yo de la mañana VOCACIÓN DE LA POLICÍA PARA MÁS INFORMACIÓN AHORA.

*French*
JE NE M'ARRÊTERAI PAS MAIS JE CONDUIRAI AU POSTE DE POLICE LE PLUS PROCHE / LA VILLE ou la ZONE DE SERVICE - J'APPELLE LA POLICE POUR PLUS DE RENSEIGNEMENTS MAINTENANT.

*German*
Ich WERDE NICHT ANHALTEN, ABER ich WERDE ZUM NÄCHSTEN POLIZEIREVIER / STADT oder SENDEBEREICH FAHREN - ich RUFE DIE POLIZEI FÜR MEHR INFORMATION JETZT.

*Italian*
NON MI ARRESTERÒ MA GUIDERÒ ALLA STAZIONE di POLIZIA/CITTÀ o ALL'AREA di SERVIZIO PIÙ VICINA - ORA STO DENOMINANDO LA POLIZIA PER PIÙ INFORMAZIONI.

*Dutch*
IK ZAL NIET OPHOUDEN MAAR IK ZAL AAN HET MEEST DICHTBIJGELEGEN GEBIED VAN HET POLITIEBUREAU/VAN DE STAD OF VAN DE DIENST DRIJVEN - IK ROEP NU DE POLITIE VOOR MEER INFORMATIE.

------

I hope this helps. As new motorhomers we will certainly be keeping this to hand when abroad.


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## sylke

*FAKE POLICE ON MADRID MOTORWAY*

We went to Spain by car for our 40th wedding aniversary last year and we were stopped on the motorway at Madrid by fake police. Yes we stopped as they swung in front of us and herde us off the motorway. We were then robbed of our money. We reported it but the police really weren't interested. Having said that we have bought our MH this year and will go back to Spain in it. But this time we are a lot wiser!!


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## 114585

This form of daylight robery has also recently been reported on the Costa del Sol, a few ideas;

1. Only stop for Police cars that have "POLICIA" on the vehicle and blue lights.

2. If a vehicle is flashing you and you are unsure then only stop in a petrol station or a place where there are CCTV cameras (Petrol stations are perfect)


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## MalanCris

'Spanish 
NO ME PARARÉ PERO CONDUCIRÉ A LA COMISARÍA MÁS CERCANA / CIUDAD O ÁREA DE SERVICIO - yo de la mañana VOCACIÓN DE LA POLICÍA PARA MÁS INFORMACIÓN AHORA. '

Should read:
No voy a parar ahora, pero iré a la comisería/ciudad ó estación de servicio más cerca. Estoy llamando ahora mismo la policia para avisarles.


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## C7KEN

No me voy a parrar, pero te voy a seguir a una estacion policia mas cercana
Im not going to stop but I will follow you to the nearest police station.

That's what I would say if I wanted to speak to them but frankly I would rather get the gun out.

We travel at any time and have not ever had a problem but know there are plenty of low life around and will not ever stop until we enter a forecourt or similar busy place. Unless its an obvious proper Garda checkpoint and there are lots of uniformed people there.


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