Credit Crunch Causes Increased Crime In Bulgarian Villages.

The World recession has now reached Bulgaria and the problems associated with this not always fully realised, even in small tucked away villages in the Bulgarian countryside.

We had a big warning from friends in the village that there is a big crime wave right now and that we should really stay at the farmhouse full time if we want to ensure the house isn't broken into and pillaged. There have been many break ins locally with empty expatriate holiday homes, that stand out like a sore thumb with the rich picking that lay in wait. It's not only expatriate homes that area t risk, any empty home that these thieves find are at risk. This has always been the case in Bulgarian villages.

The threat of roaming gypsies that see opportunities of stealing from empty homes remains. The problem now is that it is not only gypsies that are the problem. With the worldwide recession hitting hard, many Bulgarians have lost their jobs both home and abroad. They are now desperate for money and turn to stealing to feed their families. The villages are excellent picking points as many of these 'forced criminals' now travel from village to village to prey on homes that beckon.

The homes that are at greatest risk of course are the expatiate holiday homes. These are not occupied for 90% on the time and they really to represent a major haul once broken into. In the villages security for these places are normally thin on the ground as it used to be a low risk area and it is only neighbours that act as an deterrent.

My neighbour has now spread the word in the that I am living there full time and occasionally pop into Yambol for business. I have been advised to keep an outdoor lights on at all times and get another dog to put in the yard. This will reduce the risk substantially.

Now I live in an road that goes nowhere, there is no passing traffic as such other than local villages on their way to the dumping grounds with their rubbish. My house is not visible from the main road and my renovations are such that it still looks like a typical Bulgarian home from the outside and the garden cultivated in typical Bulgarian fashion. Even if you pass my home, it still looks like Bulgarians that live there, this is a good insurance.

I know many expatriate houses that are so obviously done out in non-Bulgarian style that you would need to be an idiot not to realise that Bulgarians don't live there. Even if you were blind you would still know that this was not a Bulgarian home as there wouldn't be a barking dog as you approach.

So the bottom line is that crime is on the increase due to the world recession, even more so in the villages that are so vulnerable. Tougher security is needed to combat this, let's hope that the recession subsides and that the crime rate falls alongside this. Such a shame that another element of crime in Bulgaria villages that was almost non existent is on a changing platform.

11 comments:

  1. Martin, a year ago when all this started to effect Thailand , and the rest of the world , I made a comment to Ciejay and our friends close by that Bangkok and the large tourist cities as Pukett and Pattiya were going to get hit hard and that thousands of folks were going to lose their jobs. well its happening now and the Minster of Labor in Bangkok said just last week that thousands will be headed back to the rural village to live with relatives , as they will have no income and cannot remain in the big cities. Just as I said . Already I have seen 20 or so new faces in our markst place , smiling and acting like nothing is wrong , when I know that they have no money no job and are living off the hard working folks in our village , most of whom are just getting by month to month as it is , I ,like you am afraid that crime will be on the rise and we will have to spend a lot of our time watching out for the strangers in our towns , maybe now I'll have to think about that fence ha ha Malcolm

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  2. Wow. Even though you are so far removed, you're still affected. Shows you what a small world it really is...Great blog!

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  3. Martin I guess statistically that crime rises in periods of recession?

    That said, are Bulgaria or Thailand for that matter worse than the UK?

    I think the answer is no but of course I would not wish to become complacent.

    We have a high level of security on our home (MTF insists) and this starts on the street with the soi dogs, who quickly alert us to the presence of a stranger.

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  4. Oh dear! Martin,

    Please do be careful and do your best to be vigilant.

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  5. Martin, do be careful!

    That being said, I think the effect of recession do an increase of crimes all over the world, Malaysia included. :(

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  6. Perhaps your best security at the moment is the thick blanket of snow that has fallen. It would make any quick getaway unlikely and the cover of darkness near impossible. However when the snow thaws you are in the lap of the gods. Glad to read you have some good security, by that I mean good neighbours.

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  7. This slumping global economy is a pain indeed. We're seeing a whole lot more homeless folks in downtown San Diego (California, USA) now, too. :o( I hope things turn the corner for the better soon. Hope your place remain safe!

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  8. Hi Martin,
    I sure hope your place will stay safe there! We are seeing similar things here in the Czech Republic. Stay safe!

    Yesterday, I wrote a post about the Top 10 Entrecard droppers. You were number 1! Thank you!! I included a link to your blog, along with a short review: Entrecard Top 10 Droppers for February: http://sheroffthebeatenpath.blogspot.com/

    Have a great weekend!
    Sher :0)

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  9. Expat homes here in Istanbul are mainly located in so called compounds with security 24/7/365.
    In fact, more and more neighborhoods are build with high security alert. Simple because unemployment rate is 14% and many people from rural areas travel to Istanbul to find jobs which are not here. We live pretty safe, but in the mess of Istanbul, you are a nice target for petty thiefs.
    keep ans stay safe.
    kindest
    hans

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  10. That's a shame! Hopefully things will start to change for everyone. We've had an increase in break-ins in our area since the credit crunch as well.

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  11. The impact of recession is felt in all spheres, and the list is increasing. Burglary and theft by mostly by the young are spreading to all the countries. The risk is greater for expatriates. A good neighbor is an asset now and their counsel is teh best. Rightly said, merge totally with the local.

    Adding yuo as a follower.

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