The answer to the question posed in the title of this blog is unfortunately that we cannot protect ourselves 100% from theft. As methods of car protection develop, so do methods of breaking in. However, during holidays, when crowds are large, we can prevent many unpleasant situations.

Where do break-ins most often occur during holidays?

According to the experience of Nikana and our group Live from Greece, the most common break-ins during holidays happen in the parking lots of large supermarkets while tourists are shopping, on the beach, and unfortunately, very often in the parking lot when visiting Zejtinlik.

Most tourists stop by large supermarkets immediately upon arrival in Greece to stock up on groceries or take a break for shopping. These are usually supermarkets just outside Thessaloniki on the way to Halkidiki. Although the supermarket parking lots are fenced and marked, it is not possible to control such a large number of cars. The targets of burglars are the cars that are outside the heavy flow of people, where suitcases and items are “within reach” and visible and easily accessible. They usually just break the glass and quickly grab everything they can reach (suitcases, bags, surfboards…). Timing is crucial in these thefts.

Measures to protect against theft from cars in supermarket parking lots

  • If possible, during shopping, have an adult (NOT CHILDREN) stay in the car. This is difficult if shopping is done during the day in large supermarkets because there is no shade anywhere, but if the car has a cooling system, that is one way.
  • Do not leave valuable items, suitcases, bags, purses, laptops, tablets, visible and “peeking” through the car windows. If it is visible and “openly available,” thieves will prefer to break in because it represents an easy target. The advice is to hide them with some items, place them on the car floor, and cover them with clothes, hats… Anyway, just make sure they are not visible at first glance. Do not even leave sunglasses. Theft of sunglasses from famous brands is very common, and burglars do not know if they are expensive or not.
  • Check if your alarm is working, if it is activated;
  • An interesting piece of advice from Greek portals is that a protection measure can be a baby alarm left on and activated. This way, one can practically hear as soon as the burglars break the glass. If the baby alarm is one that can be communicated in both directions, then the burglars can be deterred by hearing when we start talking, or rather shouting at them.

Parking when visiting Zejtinlik

Regarding parking for visiting the Serbian military cemetery - Zejtinlik, it is safest to leave the car in the parking lot in front of the supermarket My Market, as well as in the side streets across from Zejtinlik. None of the parking lots in the vicinity charge, but make sure to check if anything has changed in the meantime. Attention! Do not park on the sidewalk in front of the cemetery entrance on the main street Lagada. Also, it is not recommended to park in front of the entrance to the French part of the cemetery, as a large number of car break-ins have been recorded.

IMPORTANT - new methods of car break-ins!

Modern car thieves are well-versed in technology and know how to use it to achieve their goal. We will mention a few ways in which cars are broken into so that we know the methods of protection. These are the so-called “clean thefts” as the police call them.

Modern car keys often do not even have a physical key, but a transmitter that connects to the car’s “brain” and sends a command to unlock the doors or start the engine.

However, there are devices that can connect to the remote key transmitter and steal its codes so that they can essentially unlock the car and use it as if they were the owner. These devices work from a distance of up to 300m, so we cannot notice them.

Prevention: Believe it or not, wrapping the remote key in aluminum foil prevents theft of codes from the remote key!

Other devices that exist block locking, similar to the above-mentioned principle of breaking in. And while we hear the familiar “click” sound and think our car is locked, in fact, the lock is open, and thieves can easily open the car and take out whatever they can.

Prevention: Check all doors to see if they are locked after locking them with the remote key.

How can you tell if your car is marked for theft?

What does it mean when you notice a tissue/paper towel or a water bottle on your car?

There is no end to car thefts and theft from cars. The crucial role in maintaining thefts is the ability of gangs to constantly enrich their “arsenal” with new methods. Indeed, before a gang steals a car, its members have conducted a thorough investigation and, as one Greek portal states, “devoutly orchestrated its course.”

Car theft and theft from cars are sometimes not isolated acts but the work of an organized group of thieves. One is responsible for choosing the target. As a casual passerby, they carefully “measure” the cars and mark the potential target so that the rest of the team can do their part.

If you notice:

  • a paper on the handle of your car
  • a water bottle next to the wheel
  • a coin on the handle or hood
  • or anything unusual that you did not leave on the car

It may be a sign that your car is marked as “good prey.”

After the car is marked, another part of the burglar team will follow the car, how often and when it is used, and everything they are interested in to carry out the action.

As Greek portals state, if we notice such a sign on our cars, we should immediately report it to the police. We ourselves doubt that the police can do anything significant in preventing a possible theft, but what we can do is:

  • leave the car in a parking lot with a guard;
  • if there is space, park in the accommodation yard (if the accommodation has designated parking);
  • if you have a camera, leave it on;
  • check if your alarm is activated if you have one;
  • if you have a camera in the car, check if it is activated.

What not to leave in the car and why?

The most traditional space for storing things in the car cabin is the glove compartment in front of the passenger, where we usually keep documents, along with other small items we do not want to carry with us.

As Greek portals write, law enforcement authorities warn of a “dangerous combination,” which is the common habit - leaving any documents containing the address of the home or apartment where tourists are staying, and of course, the keys to them!

Leaving the address (on any document) and keys gives thieves an additional “bonus” as they can easily enter the house or apartment and carry out the so-called “clean” theft. In fact, authorities go further and recommend that drivers take with them every document in the car glove compartment with personal information to make it even more difficult for thieves to identify the next target.

Conclusion and advice

Every season, the highest number of car thefts occurs in the parking lots of large supermarkets or while we are at the beach and, as we have written, in front of Zejtinlik.
The advice cannot be other than - DO NOT LEAVE ANYTHING VALUABLE in the car.

Statistics

We recently spoke with a follower who works in car insurance. His car was broken into in January in front of Jumbo in Thessaloniki. He says he has more than 10 years of experience in the insurance business and, based on his contacts with other insurance companies from Serbia, estimates that more than 1,500 cars from Serbia are broken into in Greece every year, and this number only includes insured cars. The real number is likely 20-30% higher.

He believes that this problem is solvable, following models from the EU and the USA, where security is provided at key locations 365 days a year during business hours. However, to initiate a similar action in Greece, a request from the Serbian government to the Greek government would be necessary.

There are also car thefts and break-ins in Serbia, with more than 2,000 insurance policies issued annually for theft and vandalism (this number refers only to insured cars), but he believes Serbia is more efficient in this regard, with nearly 60% of cases being resolved.

He also mentioned that EU tourists on the islands have experienced similar situations, and the Greek government responded after their governments requested action. In the case of car break-ins and thefts in Northern Greece, where most Serbian tourists are concentrated, he believes there is a lack of initiative from both the Serbian and Greek sides.

Here’s how his family experienced a car break-in in Greece in January.

They visited Zejtinlik and then stopped at Jumbo, literally for five minutes to use the restroom. When they returned, they found that their front windshield was damaged, the rear window was broken into, and the only items in the car were old belongings and a fossil watch about ten years old. The worst part was that they had to return to Serbia with plastic covering the rear window, in January, with children in the car.
Of course, as in most cases reported to us, the reaction from the police leaves a bitter taste. They usually seem disinterested.

He mentioned that they’ve traveled extensively in Greece, and Crete left the best impression in terms of safety, where they spent 40 days. The entire island is under surveillance, and security is well ensured.

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