You have travelled to the Costa del Sol to enjoy lots of sunshine, stunning beaches, theme parks water parks, culture, food, drink, shopping, and a special time with family and friends. Your holiday is to be enjoyed to its maximum at every point. This enjoyment can, however, be upset should you suffer the loss of any valuable item or have it stolen from you. This article is a guide to help you know how to report a theft or loss on the Costa Del Sol.
Whilst the chances of you being a victim of a theft or losing an item that you wish to make an insurance claim for is low there is still that chance. It is important you take as many precautions as possible. The list of safety measures you can take is endless but the main thing is to be vigilant and careful which isn’t always easy to do when you are in holiday mode.
Should the worst happen and you find you have been a victim of theft or lost an item that is valuable to you then you need to contact the police. You need to contact the police for several reasons. The Police may have already made an arrest or make an arrest in the future that sees the return of your property or the item may have been handed in. They need to know what crimes are being conducted and where to try and implement some preventative measures. You will also need to make a report if you hope to make a claim on your holiday insurance.
There are several arms of the police all of which have different jurisdictions and classifications which to be quite honest is wholly confusing. You could spend days trawling round the different stations trying to find someone who will take note of your plight. The police have recognised this and the difficulty holidaymakers and their staff have when it comes to reporting a theft or loss on the Costa Del Sol.
As such they have set up a dedicated telephone line for you to ring direct and make the report over the phone. You will be given a set of options in English to ensure you are put through to the right person. At this point you will speak to a human being and not an automated voicemail. Again, the operator speaks English which will help all those whose Spanish is not up to scratch.
Telephone number to ring is: 0034 902 102 112
Before making the call make sure you have as much information as possible to hand about what happened and when and as much detail as possible about the missing or stolen objects. Write it down first is always a useful tip. You will need the address of the holiday home you are staying in.
Once the report is complete you will be given an incident number so have a pen and paper handy. You will also be given the location of the police station that you need to attend to sign and collect your statement. Again write this down and if you struggle with the location contact your property representative who will be glad to help.
The statement is sent by e-mail immediately to the designated police station so you can go straight down and collect it, remember to take your incident number and passport with you. On arrival at the police station present your incident number and let them know you are there to collect a statement.
You will be taken through a few brief details and shown the statement for you to sign. This will be in Spanish so ask if the station has an interpreter available. Many stations in Holiday destinations lay on this service using volunteers. Sign and keep your statement safe.
All you then have to do is try and make a successful claim against your insurance provider who will ask for your police report. Without this the insurer will wash their hands and happily walk away stating you should have read their terms and conditions.
We hope this advice is never necessary and hope you have a fantastic holiday on the Costa del Sol.
