|
Modern Scams. Spanish con
artists are as eager to move with the times as any other kind
of criminal. The timo del euro was a passing phenomenon,
as it could only work while pesetas and euros coexisted (the
victim was duped into believing that his pesetas were about
to expire, but that the nice young bank employee talking to
him would change them for him: the "euros" he received
in exchange were forged). Other scams are more enduring. You
should be very wary of timeshare schemes — there are
many, well established, perfectly reputable companies and
agents in this sector, but, to quote the Foreign Office, "equally
many unscrupulous companies in operation." Credit card-related
cons are also quite common, and fraudsters have even been
known to go to the lengths of installing fake ATM slots which,
instead of dispensing money, read your card number while a
camera records the PIN you key in.
The Long Arm of the Law. While Spain
may no longer be the near crime-free haven it once was, Spanish
policemen have changed, and much for the better. The old Policia
Nacional (los grises, as its agents were called
when they were the main arm of repression of the Franco regime)
is now a thoroughly modern law enforcement agency. The once
fearsome and feared Guardia Civil has been steadily
if incompletely demilitarised and has been given a number
of new functions, most of which are good for its image (environmental
crimes, national heritage crimes), though not all (immigration
control). Spanish towns and cities have their own Policia
Municipal, perhaps not quite English bobbies, but approachable
enough, and in addition, the Policia Nacional dedicates
quite a lot of resources and manpower to what is called the
policia de proximidad, old-fashioned beat police. All
told, there has been a facelift and a change in attitudes,
both by and towards the police. For example, at a demonstration
in Madrid against the Iraq war in March, 2003, a policeman
gave a young lady protestor a very hefty crack on the head
with his riot stick, the good news being that it was widely
reported, this being exceptional rather than standard behaviour
nowadays. And whereas twenty years ago, you would have thought
twice about asking a Spanish policeman for directions, nowadays
he is quite likely to offer assistance first (but be wary
of anyone claiming to be a policeman who is not in uniform:
this is a ruse sometimes used by robbers).
Contacting the Police. If you want to report
something to the police, ring 902 102 112 (Policia Nacional).
In an emergency, if you are in a city or provincial capital,
you can ring 091 for the Policia Nacional or, if you
are in the country, 062 for the Guardia Civil. And
if you only want to remember one number, the blanket telephone
number for emergencies of all kinds, from fire to flood and
mountain climbing mishaps to swimming accidents, is 112.
<< Back <<
Page 2
<< Begin Again <<
Page 1
|
