Is it ALWAYS unsafe to leave your belongings at your own apartment in Paris, France because of burglars?

Question

I've heard many stories of how burglars break into apartments through windows and either clothes, electronic goods, or any other valuable belongings get stolen.. Does this happen all the time?? How do you make your apartment even safer than the obvious if you have no choice but to leave let's say your clothes and your laptop because you don't want to carry around a bulk of things when you're out?

Answer 1

I have a hard time imagining that to be true.  Why would anyone ever live in Paris if all their stuff got stolen out of their apartment every day when they left for work (other than the thieves, I guess)?  When I was in Paris, we stayed in a small hotel by Le Invalides.  It had a window.  We left our stuff in it every day, and didnt have a problem.  We didnt have an issue with anything being stolen from the car either (which we left parked on the street in front of the hotel for a few days- you dont need a car in Paris, but nothing was stolen from it in that time).

Answer 2

Burglars work according the market rules - supply & demand

The market of tv/hifi/photo and computers is saturated - they will not take anything - If you have kind of Gucci & co things maybe they'll take them

Cars : the security systems are now too sophisticated and cars, except Ferraris or Porsche, directly into trucks, are not stolen anymore - Radio-cds are not stolen anymore

GPS are stolen when they are not integrated - there's a demand for them .

If your flat is broken - what do they take ? Cash - jewels - gold - that's all - and if you hide them in clever places they'll not find them because most of the times they are under-skilled burglars,   in average  12 yo tzigans- so they do exactly what their parents told them, otherwise very dumb .

Answer 3

Hogwash!  I've been to Paris four times and have never had a single item stolen.  I stayed in a regular hotel on one trip, an apartment hotel on one trip, and a regular apartment on another trip.  

If the room or apartment you're staying in is not on the ground or 1st floor, then it is hard for thieves to break in through the windows -- how would they get up there?