French police and especially Gendarmes, are efficient, approachable and helpful even if they look a little serious behind their dark glasses so please don’t hesitate to ask for their assistance if you are lost, in trouble or need help in anyway. If you need to contact the police in an emergency, dialling 17 will put you in touch with your local Gendarmerie or Commissariat de Police.

Taking safety precautions on the Côte d’Azur are the same whether you’re in Nice or in Newcastle. Being aware of what you should do - and knowing the possible dangers - will go a long way in making your stay a safer and more enjoyable one. Like many other holiday destinations, crime occurs more often during the tourist season than at other times and is generally carried out by “opportunists” rather than dedicated hard-boiled professionals.

So, what “dangers” should you be aware of - and what safeguards should you take? To avoid becoming a crime statistic yourself, the Gendarmerie Nationale have issued 10 elementary, but sensible, security rules:

Your Car

1. Do not leave anything visible (objects, clothes) while driving or after you’ve parked your car
2. Keep your car doors locked when driving around town
3. Do not leave any bag or object clearly visible on seats or on your laps
4. When stopped at traffic lights be mindful of scooters and motorbikes
5. When leaving your parked car, make sure it’s locked, the alarm on, steering wheel blocked and the car radio removed. Do not leave any valuables inside the boot.

Public Places

1. Avoid carrying your handbag over your shoulder and avoid walking too close to the pavement
2. Do not carry large sums of money, Traveller's Cheques or jewellery with you. Leave them in the hotel safe box
3. When using your credit card for payment, make sure your back’s turned away from other people when keying in your pin code. Be careful when taking money out of a cash dispenser (ATM). Do not leave or throw away your receipt. Take it with you
4. Keep an eye on your personal belongings (mobile phone, handbag and/or camera); don't leave them within reach of any one
5. Do not leave your things unattended on the beach.

Further Precautions
Some precautions can already be taken prior to leaving your home country. For example, before leaving home you should make two photocopies of your passport identification page, airline tickets, driver's license and the credit cards you plan to bring with you. Then leave one photocopy of this data with family or friends at home and pack the other.

The same applies with Travellers Cheques; when you first purchase them, it’s important you record the serial numbers of each Cheque. If you need to report lost or stolen Travellers Cheques, you will be asked to provide the serial number of the Cheque in question. Keep your list of serial numbers in a safe place, separate from your Cheques - leave a copy of the serial numbers with a friend or relative at home and carry your copy with you in a separate place.

As you cash the cheques, cross them off the list.

Once you’ve arrived on the Côte d'Azur, relax and look like you already belong there; wear clothing like the locals and dress sensibly and conservatively. Learning a few words of French, especially the “politeness” words, will help tremendously too.

Handbags
Sturdy shoulder bags, with the strap worn across the chest, may not be so becoming, but are certainly less easy to pull off your shoulder. Bum bags and outside pockets are also easy targets for thieves. One of the safest places to carry valuables is in a pouch or money belt worn under your clothing.

We're now going to run through some "hot spots" you should be aware of. Although it's quite possible nothing will ever happen to you at any of them - just being reminded of the dangers helps.

Trains & Railway Stations
Be alert to pickpockets in train stations and subways as purse snatching and pick-pocketing occur throughout the South of France.

If you must carry your passport make sure it's carried on the body. Be vigilant when travelling on sleepers or night trains; as at night, thieves some times take the opportunity to rob sleeping travellers. Remember too that thefts can also occur during the day so don't leave bags containing valuables unattended.

Nice Airport
This is normally a very secure area with extremely vigilant staff and security staff. One of our favourite stories is how, a few years ago, we’d arrived at the airport to check in at the British Airways desk at Terminal One. No sooner had we done this when everyone was told to evacuate the airport premises immediately.

Much hustling and bustling was done by one and all and evacuate we did. No sooner had we’d done this when there was one almight bang from inside the airport.

After all the commotion had died down we were allowed back in the Terminal. Inside we were greeted by an absolutely wonderful assortment of clothes, hanging hither and dither, completly turned into dangling confetti. And talking with some rather serious-looking policemen were two immensely embarrassed girls who had left their baggage totally unattended as they gaily wandered off shopping around the Terminal.

Moral of the story? Don’t leave your bags unattended at Nice airport. Such an occurrence has never happened again however much one may find the story funny.

But it must be said, that no matter how tight security was before 9/11 - it is far greater nowadays. There are more patrols, more security staff and more awareness about safety at the airport than ever more. However, there have been some reports of thefts at car rental car-parks while bags are being loaded up into hire cars. Be vigilant.

Shops, Hotels & Restaurants
Some robberies can also occur at major department stores as people often leave their wallets, passports and credit cards on cashier counters during transactions. Remember that hotels can also be robbed too. With that in mind, safety experts recommend booking a room between the second to seventh floor above ground level to deter easy entrance from outside, but low enough for fire equipment to reach.

Thieves often frequent lobbies and breakfast rooms and take advantage of a minute of inattention to snatch jackets, purses and backpacks. Many French hotels have safety latches that allow guests to secure their rooms while they are inside. However, if no chain or latch is present, a chair placed up against the door is usually an effective obstacle to surreptitious entry during the night.

Whenever possible, valuables should be kept in the hotel safe rather than in the room safe. There have been a few incidents in restaurants when women's handbags, placed either on the back of the diner's chair or on the floor under the table at the feet of the diner, are stolen during the meal.

Taxis
In general we’ve always found the taxi cabs here clean, safe and the drivers very polite. Nonetheless, remember to take taxis clearly identified with official markings. Be sensible and don't take any unmarked cabs.

Pedestrians
Although you'll probably spend much of your time driving around and visiting places - there will be times when you'll take to the streets and become - a pedestrian. And pedestrians are vulnerable too so a note of caution is not remiss. Be aware of bag snatchers operating both on foot and from motorcycles.

Do watch out for them weaving through areas heavy with foot traffic - they can be eyeing that camera bag of yours. Keep the bag close to you (you should never just let it hang) and be prepared to kick the bike away - if it's not going too fast.

Don't forget to let go if they've managed to grab on. Whatever's in the bag isn't worth losing an arm over.

Beware of pickpockets. They often have an accomplice who will:

• Jostle you
• Ask you for directions or the time
• Point to something spilt on your clothing or distract you by creating a disturbance.

Crimes targeting vehicles with non-local or simply foreign, number plates still happen. Prior to the abolishment of French road tax in the year 2000/2001, license plates of all hire cars use to end in 51. Car doors should be kept locked at all times while travelling to prevent incidents of "snatch-and-grab" thefts.

Thefts from cars stopped at red lights are common, particularly recently in the Nice-Antibes-Cannes area as well as Marseille. In this type of scenario, the thief is usually a passenger on a motorcycle - or worse - a moped.

Similar incidents have also occurred at péages and rest areas. Special caution is advised when entering and exiting the car as that offers opportunity for purse-snatching. Remember that valuables should not be left in parked cars and should be kept out of sight at all times.

Whenever possible, try to avoid parking in isolated or dark areas of car parks or camping grounds (if you're on a camping holiday). And if you don't have one, consider installing an alarm in your caravan or mobile home. There have been several cases of burglary during the night whilst travellers have been sound asleep.

But What If . . . Happens?
First of all you must immediately report the matter to the local police as they’ll issue you a Récépissé de Déclaration de Perte ou de Vol (Receipt for declaration of loss or theft).

Secondly, you must make the report in person. The police will not accept a report by telephone or from someone else acting on your behalf. Most police stations have English-speaking personnel. This is when you'll be thankful you've made copies of everything before you left home as you as you bring the copies of those items that have been lost or stolen with you to the police station.

Thirdly, you must also inform your Embassy or Consulate as they will be able to help you further. Again, photocopies of your lost or stolen items will help. If your passport gets lost or stolen report the loss immediately to the local police then contact your nearest Consulate or Embassy as you will need to fill out a lost/stolen declaration form and submit reference details of a local police report.

The Embassy/Consulate staff can also assist you in finding appropriate medical care, contact family members or friends and explain how funds can be transferred.

If your credit cards, bank card, Travellers Cheques or cheque book get lost or stolen report the loss to the nearest police station so you can obtain a receipt for declaration of loss or theft. You must also contact your bank and credit card holders to prevent your cards from being used fraudulently, and to order replacement cards. If the missing credit or bank card is a joint one remember to let the other person know that you are cancelling the card.

If your Travellers Cheques are lost or stolen, they can be replaced anywhere in the world - usually within 24 hours. American Express Travellers Cheque Customer Service Centres handle claims for lost or stolen Cheques 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If your Travellers Cheques are lost or stolen, phone a Service Centre immediately.

Refunds must first be pre-authorized by an American Express Travellers Cheque Service Centre. Service Centre personnel will assist customers in determining the best way to obtain a refund.

A list of Service Centre telephone numbers and instructions are included with your Travellers Cheques purchase.

Lost & Found Property
There is a Lost & Found Property service in every town. Their address can be found by calling any one of the three police forces. Two services also exist at Nice airport.

One is located at Terminal 1
(Tel: 04 93 21 31 11);

the other at Terminal 2
(Tel: 04 93 21 31 12).

So, What Do We Do?
Actually, we believe there’s a difference between living on the Côte d’Azur and just coming down here as “a tourist” for a few days or weeks. We have the opportunity to leave our stuff at home rather than carting everything with us or leaving behind in a hotel. Our prorities are different too. When we go out we batten down the shutters, check the front door is properly shut and make sure the electric gates have closed correctly. This is all to do with our insurance contract - and not because we’re worried about neighbourhood crime.

There are perhaps two things that I’ve consciously changed since reading the Gendamerie’s leaflet and writing up this article. I now central-lock my car as soon as I get into it - even for short trips. I’ve also taken to having a backpack rather than a handbag. This is due more to the website than anything else - I’ve simply more to carry and tend to have my camera “at the ready” as I walk around. A backpack leaves my hands and arms free - plus I can stuff more shopping into it!

But I suppose those famous pearls of wisdom “Better Safe Than Sorry” (or was that my mother's saying?) makes us aware of our surroundings. We don’t wear flashy jewels or expensive watches (we can’t afford a bodyguard) and we tend to dress normally - nothing “loud” or glitsy - and more often than not it's an old pair of jeans and a shirt.

So relax and enjoy your stay here - whether it’s for a short break or longer; the Côte d’Azur is still a wonderful place to be.