Travel Securely Securely Travel
Most recently UK television personality, his family and a number of guests were all at a villa in France when they discovered that while they were sleeping they had been robbed of their cash, and that one of the teenage daughters of Richard Hammond had her watch taken.
The Hammonds suspect that the entire group was gassed while they slept to facilitate the entry to each of the groups sleeping quarters where their wallets and purses were emptied.
Criminals proved once again that they go where the money is, and if you are renting a villa in Saint Tropez your pocketbook probably isn’t being strained.
For the vast majority who have vacationed in Saint Tropez, their vacation has gone off without a hitch. The extraordinarily well-funded vacationers travel with their personal security detail, while the well-off but not extraordinarily wealthy trust that the “villa” has sufficient security and that the area they choose is safe. The lower-end vacationer to San Tropez, probably isn’t attracting the attention of these criminals given their sophistication and targeting of the travelers in that “well-off” category.
The good news is, the miscreants were captured on a security video and local law enforcement in France arrested the two.
Nevertheless, questions which the Hammonds and any traveler should be asking themselves when making travel plans:
- Are we bringing attention on ourselves - social media posting by family members containing too much information?
- Who has access to the villa? Are the locks changed between patrons?
- Who knows we are there? Travel agent? Shared hosting app (AirBnb)?
- What is the crime profile of the area? (Crime exists and tourists are ripe targets)
The last data point isn’t hard to sleuth. In one internet search, it is possible to learn that from 2010-2017 crime has been on the increase in Saint Tropez and the tactics used sometimes are violent and other times mirror the experience of the Hammonds. Celebrity favorite Saint Tropez hit with crime wave, from 2014 about sums it up.
Take for example, the 2015 experience of Jenson Button and spouse. Their accommodation was gassed and the thieves made off with Button and his wife’s valuables. The nearby neighbors also had their villa robbed, their security system included video. The video allowed police to identify the thieves and make arrests.
What should you do if traveling to France or any other locale and using individual or shared accommodations?
Determine well ahead of paying the first deposit if an alarm system is available, are their local security personnel on duty. Are the locks changed between guests? How much of the security equation falls on the guest’s shoulders?
Answer to the last question: 100% of the responsibility is yours, ask the questions so you know what the has been mitigated and what you need to address.
Travel to France, Saint Tropez if you can afford to and enjoy yourself.
Please ask the important questions re safety and security of your hosts before you arrive.
Should you find yourself a victim of crime in France, dial 17. The Europe-wide emergency number 112 will also work.
