GUEST,memyself and ard mhacha what you both said here is exactly right. I have a sister living in Canada and she remarked on the flower beds too ! One of the largest flower beds in my home town is directly facing the police station and attacks on it by yobs got so bad that the local council stopped planting it out.(No surprise, when you consider the local police only come out to go to the bakery). You are right ard, here in Spain the local cafes leave their tables and chairs out overnight ! I can just imagine that at home !

In Torrevieja Spain, the police are very visual, as are the local civic guard. These guys with two foot batons on their belts walk their beat from morning to night. There was an incident last week in a large out of town supermarket. I have no idea what happened. All I saw was one of the stores security guards grab a bloke who ran out of the store, he pulled him back in and handcuffed him and kept him face down, his baton on the ready as he used his radio. I can hear the outcry now, if that happened at home !