Safety and security in Oliva

There's no easy answer to your post. I know several  ex pat couples who live full time in the campo between Pego, Oliva and Denia. Some have had no problems (but they have many nearby neighbours) and others who have had small scale thieving from outhouses and on one occasion came home to find several gentlemen of a 'travelling' persuasion systematically stripping their orange orchard. Their van had been hidden from view surrounded by trees, so they blocked them in and called the Guardia. Brave but foolish. Fortunately ended in court not hospital.

There was a spate of thieving 18 months ago on my urbanisation outside Adsubia, eventually traced to itinerant workers picking the local orange groves. But there were also gangs of professional Eastern Europans working this area not long ago, thankfully collared by the police.

In all honesty I wouldn't want to do what you're considering, but I prefer to be in the proximity of neighbours. If you install good house security measures, and maybe get a dog, you should be fine. There's crime in every country, but we shouldn't blow it out of proportion.

Thanks very much for your comments.  They were very useful.

Thanks very much for your comments.  They were very useful.

Hi, thanks for your comments.Judging from what you,and others,have said Oliva is no worse or no better than any other place in the world.So we have found a beautiful house amongst the orange groves and have decided to buy.Fingers crossed!!! PS I'm going to buy some geese....

On the subject of Oliva, we went there first when moving to Spain but didn’t stay long.  It has no train - the nearest stop being in Gandía.  Hospital and administrative offices also in Gandía.  Buses from Oliva are few and far between with none at weekends so you’re cut off (or reliant on taxis) unless you have a car.   It is a lovely place, with wonderful architecture and a well used paseo, but It wasn’t for us, too isolated.