A HOLIDAY couple – who both work in the security business – were the victims of crime within 24 hours of landing in Spain.

Susan and John Richards has just arrived at the Triton Hotel in Benalmadena on a five-day break, when a sneak thief snatched Sue’s handbag.

The couple were relaxing in the hotel garden when the thief struck – taking her expensive Radley handbag.

The bag contained her Radley purse, her iPhone 4S, bank cards, sterling and euro money, diary, keys and other personal items.

And Susan, a security officer at East Midlands Airport, believes there have been similar victims at the hotel.

Susan told the Olive Press: “I heard that there was another lady who had had her bag taken too, while watching the entertainment one evening in the same week.

” And I heard there was another handbag theft a couple of days before we got there.”

Susan and husband John, who live in Derbyshire, was not happy with the reaction they got from the hotel management.

” All I can say is that I was am very disappointed with the way they acted about it. All they did was write the address of the police station on a small piece of paper They did not offer to ring the police for me. So I had to make my own way to the police station up in the town . The only thing the hotel did for me was to try and ring my stolen mobile.”

As Susan and John – who also works as a security officer at the airport – made their way to the bus stop to go to the police station, a police car came by so the clever couple flagged it down and at least they got a lift to report the crime.

However, the whole experience has left its mark on Susan: “Since I have been back home I have had two panic attacks, which have not been very nice. My husband has had to change all our door locks because my house keys were in my bag.

“The hotel never asked me over the week how I was or if I had got my handbag back. The experience was so bad that my husband and I will never stay there again.”

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6 COMMENTS

  1. Sympathy of course. But really this is bog-standard stuff. Keep your hand on your ha’penny or kiss it goodbye. What did these people expect? Other than getting confirmation of theft from the cops for their holiday insurance, nothing else would, or could be done. Security officers at an airport? One wonders how valuable these persons advice to travellers is.

  2. This is one of Benalmadenas top hotels.The hotels security needs to be tightened.Guests pay big money in order to relax and enjoy their stay.The management should and could have done a lot more to accommodate this couples sad problem.

  3. Two security officers who should know a thing or two about opportunistic thieves who allow themselves to become victims through carelessness don’t deserve a great deal of sympathy.

    But equally this hotel hasn’t exactly flown the flag for the Andalucian tourist industry never mind it’s own reputation. And I thought we were in a crisis.

  4. I have taken all your comments in. Yes probably you do find it a bit silly having panic attacks over a handbag but this was the biggest thing next to having my daughter murdered a few years ago and I have not got over that .so now you might see where my panic attacks came from. And to saying letting my guard down I go on holiday to get away from stress not to be on my guard every second

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