Bonaire Burglar Stopped

[DandyDon]

Very true Caym, burglars are sometimes armed. Easy to justify carrying a fishing knife on the street. I like the idea of walking around with a baseball bat.

 

[Draq]

I like Bonaire and I will go back there. On the other hand, I don't believe that the police have any interest in putting a stop to the (usually) petty crime perpetrated against tourists and that annoys me. I sometimes wonder if the resulting jobs for security guards and the extra gas sales and vehicle repairs aren't viewed as a positive thing for the island economy.

I suppose Bonaire is a really small town with a small town police force and a lot of relatively wealthy tourists ripe for picking. I would guess the cops are not known for their sophistication, dedication, motivation, etc. A resident there once suggested to me that it was more likely than not that any given thief was some cops' cousin, nephew or other relation.

I found it odd to be warned down there last summer that the police had put into effect a "zero tolerance" speeding policy and that I would get ticketed for even 1 kph over the limit, while at the same time I could carry nothing of value in the truck, lest it get ripped off while I was away. I NEVER saw cops patrolling past the dive sites. Do they?

In any event, if anyone cared much, the crime could be reduced, and knowing that does irritate me. Unfortunately as long as there are enough of us who will go there anyway, it probably won't stop. I guess I am part of the problem.

 

[ClayJar]

There's always an Arquillian Battle Cruiser, or a Corillian Death Ray, or an intergalactic plague that is about to wipe out all life on this miserable little planet, and the only way these people can get on with their happy lives is that they Do... Not... Know about it!

Okay, that was from IMDB, not memory. :biggrin:

My point of this is, that do you folks have any idea how many Burglaries or acts of crime occurred in your town or city last night, the last week, or the last month? I would guarantee that you don't, unless your town is very small. Yet do you feel pretty safe in your house? Most would say yes.

Actually, we recently had a spate of burglaries in my neighborhood (actually, on my street). Probably the work or one guy or two, but chances are, they'll never find out exactly. It doesn't keep me up at night or anything. (It is what it is. You take a few logical steps, but after that, it's just life.)

Of course, not everyone thinks the same. In fact, some people get downright paranoid, even to the point of delusions. I've even had the police stop me once because one of the people down the street -- a street I walk and bike down *all the time* -- called police reporting me as a burglar. Frankly, I feel less safe knowing there's someone daft enough not only to not recognize me (a considerable feat, considering the veritable dearth of 6'2" pale white guys with pony tails and penchants for casual exercise in my subdivision) but also to call the police because they imagined I could have come from behind a house.

I guess I should be glad they didn't come at me with a baseball bat. (I'm quite sure, DandyDon, that you are *not* the type of person to be paranoid delusional like the person who called the police on me for walking down my own street. Still, I'll be sure to wear my ScubaBoard T-shirts and gear if I'm ever dropping by. I've been accidentally hit by a bat before, and trust me, it's no fun at all. :biggrin

 

[dhobbs7]

When a we went to Bonaire our friends purchased a 6.00 dollar item with a credit card and was charged 600 dollars and never did get the money returned so watch your credit cards also. They bought a piece of material they had it framed!

Debbie

 

[deeper thoughts]

Back from a week in Bonaire with lots to tell. First, great diving as usual. But, the one bummer, a burgler. Wife and I arrived on Sunday September 28th. Got a pool side room at Captain Don's Habitat. Started unpacking, got hungry, wife was too hot to go eat. I suggested we go for a 10 minute swim there at the pool, steps away. So we lock the door, turn out the lights, close the sliding door behind us and take 17 steps to the pool.
In for a swim, 3 minutes later, my wife says,"I just watched a man go into our room". I tell her to relax, it's not our room(I was wrong). She then says,"look, he just turned on the light". So I jump out of the pool, run into the room, scream at this stranger. He looks totally scared, tries to push me out of the way. Then the scuffle/fistfight/ tackling/mayhem starts. While we go at it, wrestling, exchanging fists, my wife screams loud enough to summon about 25 guests and hotel security.
Bonaire police arrive less than 5 minutes later. I join the burgler in the car, we go to the police station, I give my testomony and he spends the night in jail.
Later we recover his cell phone and hat in our room, all get returned to him.

I wanted to share this. I love the diving in Bonaire. This will impact my decision to return.

Thats horrible. You are better then me because that cell phone would never of seen his ear again

 

[DandyDon]

What's his number? Let's give him a ring...!

 

[Land Locked]

Now I'm becoming concerned about my trip. I had planned on taking my laptop to down load pictures and videos every day. Now I'm wondering if I should just leave the laptop at home and stock up on a bunch of large memory cards and work on them when I return home.....

 

[deeper thoughts]

What's his number? Let's give him a ring...!

 

[Papa Steve]

Check with your resort. Some may have a safe large enough for a laptop.
We were at Den Leman. There are no rooms on the ground floor and one needs cardkey access to enter the stairwell to the rooms and then again into a room.
I left my laptop out on the bed. The only thing I put in the safe was my passport.

Now I'm becoming concerned about my trip. I had planned on taking my laptop to down load pictures and videos every day. Now I'm wondering if I should just leave the laptop at home and stock up on a bunch of large memory cards and work on them when I return home.....

 

[Land Locked]

Thanks for the advice, we are staying at the Sand Dollar, after checking their site; duh, I found my answer.

Every room at Sand Dollar has a safe large enough to accommodate most laptops, as well as valuables such as money and jewelry. There is no charge for this service, but you will need to put down a deposit for the key.

Check with your resort. Some may have a safe large enough for a laptop.
We were at Den Leman. There are no rooms on the ground floor and one needs cardkey access to enter the stairwell to the rooms and then again into a room.
I left my laptop out on the bed. The only thing I put in the safe was my passport.