Bad Ending to Otherwise Good Bonaire Trip

[BHB ScubaTroll]

Liz, Excellent for you! I commend you for taking the "bull by the horns"!

It is only through complacency that lawlessness is allowed to become the norm!

Your non-complacency with Bonaire's issues is a major plus! :cool2:

Darren,

Thanks for sending me the link to this, it is great appreciated.

Darren is correct in all that he states above. The security system is en route from the states and the back doors all have new non-pickable locks. Also after investigation this past week, we have decided to install land line phones. We have met with the local telephone company and discussed our concerns regarding other properties who have been burglarized and had land lines cut from outside. The cost is much higher, but well worth it.

On Friday we came up with a plan for underground wiring so that this will not be possible. They will actually come up through the apartments, so this is great. I have an appt. with them at the Inn tomorrow morning.

This system will be great where people who want to contact you will be able to reach you 24/7 and you will be able to reach the police and myself in an emergency by pressing one button.

Now regarding theft on Bonaire. I have done a lot of thinking about this. They know who is most likely doing the thefts (we were not the only ones hit!!!). Basically the problem is the judicial system on Bonaire . In the Kingdom's society it is imperative to protect ALL individuals rights, this is their belief in, for not a better way of saying it, a socialist/democratic society. This basically comes down to the fact that the government has to have "beyond a reasonable doubt" iron clad case. Witnesses are not a viable option. They need tangible evidence such as something on video (hence the security cameras), fingerprints or a confession. NO ONE can be convicted with "circumstancal evidence". On the good side, when convicted and if they appeal and lose (I've never heard of a case that didn't win an appeal) there sentence is extended.

The people who the police suspect of doing these robberies are a group that had the same "modus operandi" 2.5 years ago. They were recently let out of jail 3 months ago.

On Bonaire, the main reason for "petty theft" and breaking and entering and stealing things like cell phones, cash, IPODS, small cameras etc is for drugs.

My personal feeling is that the police and government needs to actively address this problem aggressively, the route cause of the thefts. These thefts are not only targeted to tourists, but to "well to do locals" as well (a very prominent Bonairean's home was robbed the day after we were). They need to make it VERY difficult for drug traffikers, dealers and users on Bonaire, so that they will say "let's go somewhere else" it is too hard to do business on this island.

I can tell you that we are starting to see things happen on Bonaire, that we have not seen before, which is positive in this area. Albeit, it is a only a dent, but we see what they call "GO FAST" which is the Dutch Coast Guard patrolling via the air at VERY LOW altitudes out at sea looking for drug ships. It was just in the newspaper that they made a drug bust in one of the most, if not the most prominent neighborhood on Bonaire.

There are some areas that need work though. I have thought long and hard and have decided to become a bit out spoken on island regarding this matter. Enough is enough, we have all had enough. We do not want our island to suffer any more.

I also suggest that you all email, write local officials here, I will get the appropriate email address for you in the next day or so and post them.

Darren and all others who have been a victim of crime on Bonaire, I can truly empathize with you. I too have been a victim, personally. 2.5 years ago this same group broke into our house while I was napping on the couch, stole my computer and had to actually stand right beside me and reach over me to get my purse. It was devastating.

So now I will do all that I can humanly do. Oh wait, good idea. I have a meeting with the police chief on Bonaire later this month. If you would like, write me letters at info@goldenreefinn.com and I will personally hand deliver them, but still will get you government emails. It is important that the tourist voice be heard.

Thanks all.

Liz

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

I was in Bonaire approx. 1 1/2 years ago. All seven of us followed the "rules" that were laid out, and none of us had an issue. We made our way along the island and never had a single issue.

We were so impressed with Bonaire that we are looking at time-shares, etc...

 

[BigBubbaJ]

I was in Bonaire in Jan and stayed at the GRI.

Never felt unsafe. Had nothing stolen. Didn't lock the truck all week long.

 

[dry heat diver]

One additional security measure you can take is to put your valuables inside the pillow case and under your head while you sleep. Another is to always place a chair or some other small piece of furniture in front of the door before going to bed, especially if the door opens inward. It will make a lot of noise if someone tries to open the door and in some situations the back of the chair can be wedged under the door knob to hold the door shut.

 

[dry heat diver]

The authorities definitely need to take a tough stand. We have heard many times about the great diving on Bonaire but have been avoiding the experience because of the stories we hear about the crime rate. There are too many other cool places to dive without putting oneself at risk.

 

[DandyDon]

I was in Bonaire in Jan and stayed at the GRI.

Never felt unsafe. Had nothing stolen. Didn't lock the truck all week long.

And did not leave anything in the truck all week, right?

No beverages?

No land camera?

No first aid kit?

No cell phone of two-way radio to call for help?

Nothing, right...?
​

Where did you hide your shoes and clothes?

 

[herman]

And did not leave anything in the truck all week, right?

No beverages?

No land camera?

No first aid kit?

No cell phone of two-way radio to call for help?

Nothing, right...?
​

Where did you hide your shoes and clothes?

Sorry Don but I have to respond. This is the problem I have with folks posting when they really have no idea of what the reality actually is.
So let me address your concerns.

Beverages: We always leave water bottles for each diver and a 2 l on the hood for a warm water rinse- 13 trips- O taken

No land camera: There is no need for one, you are rarely more than 3 or 4 miles from your resort. Save the land photos for the day before leaving photo run, gotta have something to do that day anyway. This is a tiny island, at least in the diving areas. And if you use a housed camera like I do, my land camera is with me.

No first aid kit: Again, no real need for one, at worst you are only 2 miles from the hospital but if you must carry one, put the few things you need in a baggie, odds are it will not be messed with, no one is going to steal a bunch of bandaids.

Cell phone/radio: Again why, there are almost always other divers in the area and you are a few miles from help.

Nothing right: Wrong, I always leave towels, Tshirts, shoes, hats, cheap sun glasses and water bottles in the truck, so far nothing has even been touched as far as I can tell but even if it has, nothing in 13 trips has been taken.

When was the last time you rented a car in say Coz, went miles from town, went diving and left stuff in a locked car. Never I wager.
The diving on Bonaire is totally different than any other place making comparing apples to apples impossible. Nowhere else do divers go off into more or less remote spots, albeit only a couple of miles from town, park a vehicle and dive. This is not done in Coz or Roatan or the Bahamas or the Fla Keys for that matter so there is no other place to compare it to.

I truly do feel for those who have had problems and wish the island was perfect but reality is no place is perfect. Nothing would mess up my vacation more than the experience the OP had but IMO we also have to be reasonable in our fears. I have been to the island many times, traveled all over it and have made several friends on the island. Maybe my opinion is tainted but then again I do have my personal experiences to form an educated opinion with

 

[Tim Ingersoll]

Once again . . .people are over-reacting to having to follow common sense rules to avoid the inconvenience of petty theft. Dear Lord people, some of you make it sound like not having your cell phone and land camera on a shore dive ruins your vacation. . .Really? So you're gonna miss out on one of the friendliest islands with the best shore diving and healthiest reef in the Caribbean? That sort of thinking just makes me nuts. If you are that risk adverse how do you manage to get out of bed in the morning and drive to work? How do you convince yourself to get on a jumbo jet? I think the difference is that the foregoing risks are known risks that you have experienced quite often and are therefore familar with. You have become accustomed to them so they don't freak you out. Now you consider going to an unknown place. There is a new risk that you are not accustomed to . . .say leaving your truck unlocked to avoid petty theft or washing your hands more to avoid the flu, etc. Rather than rationally analyzing the actual risk and determining whether it is acceptable many people simply say . . ."I don't want to be robbed on my vacation so I'm not going to Bonaire" or "I don't want swine flu so I'm not going to Mexico." This is simply not a logical way to address risk.
I urge anyone considering a trip to Bonaire to take the simple precautions advised by many on this board to decrease the risk of petty theft. Your chances of experiencing the inconvenience of petty theft decrease to a nominal level if you do IMHO. Do not miss out on the experience of Bonaire out of fear. BTW I think a 5% chance of someone taking my t-shirt out of my rental truck while I am diving is worth the diving at 1000 Steps any day of the week!! You can have my t-shirt, sunglasses, my first aid kit and my water bottle if you let me dive there again. Any takers?

 

[Damselfish]

what does all this discussion of theft from vehicles have to do with the original post - which was about someones room getting broken into while they were in it? Maybe Bonaire diving is different than most places, but staying in a room isn't.

 

[b1gcountry]

Lets not start confusing the petty theft of sunglasses and T-shirts to the very serious crime of breaking and entering. Sticky fingers at a dive site is one thing, but breaking into your home, and stealing something from the room you are sleeping in is in a different league of crime. What if the thief didn't have a clear path to run out through? If someone is willing to break into a place people are sleeping, they are likely willing to harm or kill someone who tries to get in the way.

Tom