Beating the Spanish burglars - from home

Apartment Living: Grilles are good - but now you can get a security camera to monitor your holiday home, says Edel Morgan.

A website featuring a luxury apartment development on the Costa Blanca reads: "Decorative wrought-iron grilles will not only keep unwelcome individuals from getting in but also ensure that more adventurous children cannot fall out."

Whatever about the child safety aspect, anyone who heard the horror stories about burglary in Spain on Marian Finucane's RTÉ Radio1 show last week will be aware of the importance of using the grille - on patios, balconies, doors and windows - even if you are only nipping out of your apartment for a few minutes.

A few minutes is all it takes an adept burglar to strip an apartment of valuables, but according to one property industry source, there is a danger of exaggerating the problem. "There's no doubt burglary is a problem in Spain but then again you wouldn't go out and leave your apartment doors and windows open in Dublin either."

There is a higher incidence of organised gang-related burglary in Spain than in Ireland. Last year, offences against property represented over 80 per cent of all crimes recorded in Spain. The Balearic Islands, Andalusia, Madrid, Catalonia and Valencia and the Canary Islands had the highest rates, particularly in resort areas.

Those most likely to be hit are new property owners because their guard may be down. Also, the development they've bought into might be a virtual building site or have a low occupancy rate and is deserted at night, giving burglars more places to hide.

It is probably wise to defer occupancy until the development is at least half full. The next step might be to change the locks on external doors because there could be numerous copies of your keys floating about with tradesmen, management agent personnel and estate agents. A five lever mortice deadlock is the safest option.

Patio doors and other glass doors are vulnerable to break-ins and should have key-operated bolts at the top and bottom and a central locking device. The back door should also be fitted with a bolt.

Sliding iron grilles should be fitted internally and secured with clasp locks. In the south of Spain, most properties have decorative bars on the downstairs windows, so you can leave them open on a hot day and intruders can't get in.

If your apartment doesn't have grilles, key-operated locks should be fitted on all accessible windows on the ground floor and near drainpipes and flat roofs. And don't forget to secure garages and outbuildings when you go out.

Irish company HomeView has devised an internet CCTV camera system which allows a property owner based in Ireland to dial direct to the camera and view their property in Spain. Any movement in the apartment will trigger an infrared sensor which activates the camera and sends a series of pictures to your e-mail.

According to Sean Kirwan of HomeView, the service is only available in the Costa del Sol at the moment and costs around €1,000 for the software, camera and modem. "It's not a dedicated security system, it is really a watchdog system which also allows you monitor whether the management agent is looking after the place properly in your absence."