Is Torrevieja safe for tourists? What the crime figures actually mean

What the statistics measure

Spanish crime rates are published per registered resident. Torrevieja’s registered population is a fraction of the people who live and holiday here, many of them unregistered foreign residents, so the per-capita figure looks alarming while the absolute numbers are those of a busy resort. Most reported offences are theft: bags, bikes, phones, cars, and holiday homes left empty for months. Assaults and robberies with violence are uncommon and concentrated in a few late-night spots.

Sensible precautions

• On the beach, one person stays with the bags or you take only what you need; a dry bag in the water works.
• Nothing visible in the car, ever, even for ten minutes at a viewpoint.
• Lock doors and windows and close the gate whenever you leave the villa; it is walled and gated, which is the main deterrent.
• Scooters and bikes locked to something solid.
• At markets, bag in front, wallet in a front pocket.
• Late at night, taxis rather than long walks through the centre; the seafront and resort promenades are fine.

If something happens

112 for emergencies, with English-speaking operators. For theft, report to the Policía Nacional in Torrevieja (needed for insurance) in person or by phone, and cancel cards. Lost passports: the UK, Irish and other consulates are in Alicante. Pharmacies and the hospital are excellent for anything medical. In six years of guests we have had sunburn and a lost phone; that is the typical scale.