Hi Dicas!
We always hear or read that in Europe it is safe. Is it true or myth?!!! Well, from my point of view, a little bit of each. It's true that it's safe, however, it doesn't mean that nothing happens. Assault as we see in Brazil, it's a myth, or almost so. Just as it is true that nothing is impossible in this world!
As published in Jornal Observador on 11/3/2018, the "Annual Internal Security Report (RASI) for the first three quarters of 2018 confirms what has been a trend in recent years: the decline, in general, of the global and violent crime.” The same report mentions different types of crimes that occur in Portugal, such as: extortion, robberies of houses, scams (banking, computer and communications fraud, etc.), robberies of ATMs, among others. He also informs that the crimes with the greatest decreases compared to the same period in 2017 are forest fires (down about 32%), theft by pickpockets (down 8%) and even the theft of non-precious metals (down 8% ). As for violent crime, there were reductions in shop and industrial building robberies (down by 25%), robberies on public roads other than by pulling (15% less) and public transport robberies (down 13%). In other words, no place in the world is 100% safe. But if we compare Portugal and Brazil in terms of security, Portugal is almost perfect.
Well, in my “dream” world and feeling almost 100% safe, without that sense of eternal alertness, I relaxed about my belongings. Unfortunately, on the train journey between Lisbon and Porto I was robbed.
I put a part of my belongings (a suitcase) in the trunk just as you get on the train, and the rest, the handbag and coats on top, just above the armchair we were sitting in. However, the seats are only 2 seats, so my daughter and I sat in the row beside my husband. In our accommodations, we were “drawn”. Yes, unfortunate by fate, my husband sat exactly in this armchair that in the “future” would be used as a means of theft. Well, a man arrives accompanied by a young man and starts a small argument with my husband, thus creating a distraction for the theft to occur. I got up from my seat to try to help the Lord who “discussed” with my husband claiming that he was sitting in his seat, even presenting the exact voucher for that seat, on the eve of the train's departure. Confusion “resolved”, we sat in our armchair, I even grabbed my handbag, took out some belongings… and finally, it was the last time I had it. We noticed the theft already at Oriente station, where the person who stole probably got off with the bag.
Lesson of life, don't drop your bag wherever you are. Don't think that just because you are in a higher country than your home country, there are no thefts or anything like that. Always travel with Travel Insurance.
When we realized that we had been robbed, I immediately told the convoy employees what had happened, which I had already informed the company. We try with hope to find the loose bag and/or the person who stole inside the train, in vain. We were instructed that when we arrived in the city of Porto, we should look for the police to record what happened, as my daughter's and my documents were in the bag. Luckily our passports were with my husband.
And so we did. We looked for the police destined to the tourist, called Squad de Turismo, and we registered what happened. The service took a while despite having one person just in front of us and who was already in attendance. However, when it was our turn, the police were succinct. He asked me to describe by hand what had happened, in detail. Also asked for photos of the bag, this would have to be sent via email. After answering all the questions, writing down everything that occurred in detail, making a list of the stolen belongings, we received the DENOUNCEMENT REPORT, which is equivalent in Brazil to the Police Report, and also a NOTIFICATION, where the police inform us of our rights.
After carrying out all the procedures applicable to the situation, we no longer had contact with the police. We returned to Brazil on January 17th, and so far we have not had any return. Finally, I declared it lost and the case closed for me.
After such an experience, I reflected on how I could, and will, from now on avoid such situations. And as part of that reflection is not letting go of my purse anymore, and acquiring a new purse. This bag I could carry around normally with it on my back without worrying about being stolen. I found the Bobby Original XL model an excellent solution for the Design XD anti-theft backpack. XD Design I'm glad you exist and provide us with so much quality at a fair price! If you were curious and want to buy it too, visit their website www.xd-design.com. But pay attention, for those in Brazil, the site for access is another one, www.inovut.com.br.
What's up? What did you think of all this? Would you still live in Portugal?
I'm not an expert on the subject, but I will share as I learn and discover the difficulties of life in Portugal. After all, not everything is perfect. And if you have experienced something similar, share it with us. It is always enriching to learn from the mistakes and successes of others.
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