Kalkan is a great place to come on holiday and a wonderful place to live.  However, it is not free from crime. We have heard of a few break ins over recent weeks.

In this article KTLN takes a look at what you can do to protect yourself, your family and your possessions.  We also tell you how you can access other KTLN articles providing advice on emergency situations.

We acknowledge that crime is an emotive topic.  Say nothing and you may be accused of burying your head in the sand.  Remind people of what is really happening and you are being alarmist. 

In this report, we try to take a balanced and realistic view.  In preparing this article KTLN has spoken to a number of people in Kalkan, whose insight we value.

Statistics
As someone who spent half his career working with statistics, I would respectfully suggest that scrutinising crime statistics for Kalkan, even if they existed, would be a pretty pointless exercise.  In the UK there are crime statistics a plenty if you look for them.  How valuable are they exactly?  Not very, I would suggest.  Compiling them keeps police officers from spending their time on more productive things, like catching criminals, and like all statistics they become manipulated by those who quote them, to further their own cause.

In any case, we have not had access to any local crime statistics, so our aim here will not be to look backwards and pick over numbers, but to look forward at practical advice that will mitigate the risk of you becoming a victim of crime.

Types of crime
Let's begin with the good news.  Kalkan is a safe place to be.  Instances of violent crime are very rare indeed.  Anecdotally, many people feel more safe walking the streets of Kalkan, than they do back home in the UK.

The debate on crime in Kalkan, such as we have heard it, has a distinct leaning towards burglaries.  When it comes to burglaries it would appear that expectations are high on what we would like the Jandarma and Police to do.  

It is worth considering how our expectations on crime detection in Kalkan compare to our expectations of say the UK police service.  If you seriously expect a local British bobby to turn out in the middle of the night when you have had a break in, you may be disappointed.

Even if they do turn out, there is this thing called 'proof'.  You can see some toe-rag loitering around your property at 3am in the morning, less than 50 feet from a broken window, but unless you can prove he was the one who stole your family silver, he will be on his way quicker than you can say "Evening all".

In Kalkan it is no different.  The Jandarma and Police have got limited resources.  They can't be on every street corner, at every hour of the day.  They also have to have proof, and it's no easier to get that proof here than it is in the UK.

So unfortunately, the truth is that wherever you are, scarce policing resources and lack of firm proof will mean that lots of crimes go unpunished.  The best that you can do is to take positive action to minimise the risk of you and your property being selected as a target by criminals.

Advice
Having sought advice from authoritative sources in Kalkan, KTLN has updated its advice pages on home security, and what to do in the event of theft/robbery.  These articles can be found in the KTLN Knowledge Bank.  You can access them here by clicking on the following links:

Home Security

The above article includes advice for those on holiday, not just property owners.  If we were to pick up on just one point from the article, it would be to take extra care when you first arrive.

Anecdotally, it would seem that the risk of theft is greater at the start of your holiday, when you have all your holiday money, and you may be off your guard - perhaps being tired from your journey. 

Be careful not to tell people who you don't know, your holiday plans - where you are going and when.  Loose talk could provide someone with enough information to know the best time to break in to your villa or apartment.

Theft, Robbery & Loss of Property

It's not our intention to alarm you with this article.  Remember, that the overwhelming majority of people in Kalkan are friendly and helpful.  By thinking about this subject in advance, and taking some basic, common sense measures, you should be able to relax and enjoy your time in Kalkan. 

Emergency Situations
You can find other KTLN Knowledge Bank articles that deal with what to do in emergency situations.  Whilst Knowledge Bank articles are normally restricted to KTLN members, the two articles above, and the following ones are all publicly available:

Death

Dentists

Domestic Emergencies

Earthquakes

FCO Advice for Turkey

Fire

Medical Emergencies

On the Beach or at Sea

Road Traffic Accidents

This article was originally published on KTLN in June 2009.