Bonaire Crime - Our experience - Looking for input to share

[Lorenzoid]

I don't understand why the big deal over leaving the truck unlocked with the window down... Or you what to leave expensive stuff in the truck ? If you don't leave anything in the truck, Why lock the doors? I drove many convertibles in my life and I never locked the doors... Because if you did, They cut the top and stole the radio... Leave it unlocked and they just stole the radio... It was cheaper that way...

Jim...

Yep, the advice never to lock a convertible is sound and widely practiced. As for car radios, these days aren't they designed to be pulled out and taken with you when you park the car? When I lived in Southern California, it was common knowledge that if you didn't have a pull-out radio you wouldn't last a month before you returned to your car to find the window smashed and a bunch of wires sticking out of your dashboard. This was before satellite radio existed, so I have no idea what the situation is today. But the bottom line is I wouldn't leave anything of value in my car, anywhere in the world.

 

[Pedroinspain]

Can we all agree that it would be smart NOT to leave valuable kit in an unattended vehicle?
Can we also agree that to do so would tempt criminals, but in no way does it exonerate them from crime.
Can we agree that leaving a vehicle unlocked would assist greatly in avoiding smashed windows, but NOT doing so is NOT a felony, and in no way exonerates the smashers and grabbers.
In other words - USE COMMON SENSE - but if you fail to do so, the crime is still NOT your fault. You are just being dumb, but not a criminal.

Now let us also agree to the main point. The tourists who are affected are not to blame for the criminals not being brought to justice. Cut the misdirected PC please. It does not help the reaching of a solution. Instead, recognise that that miserable failure of justice is the fault of the local authorities, including the police. Yes folk, I am daring to be so non-PC as to claim out loud that the distasteful occurrences on this so-called utopian isle are caused largely by Bonaire residents, not by tourists willing to accept over-priced dining. So let us stop either 1) blaming the non-guilty and 2) avoiding facing reality about the failure of Bonaire's anti-crime system, and let Bonaire know that, as an important component of Bonaire's tourism, we would prefer this otherwise very pleasant place NOT to have criminals strolling the streets with little chance of being apprehended.

And I am sure that there are local residents who would prefer exactly the same. That sounds like win-win to me. But is does involve some sweat, discipling and will power. [see below]

 

[Pedroinspain]

So far a week has gone by. The only replies that I have had to my email have come from the private tourist sector. Almost unanimously they have said that they have done all that they can. Many of them copies my email to the official Bonaire torist authority. I have yet to hear a word from that august body or from the police (other that "I copies it to our boss").

I know it is early days yet, but so far the score is 10 for the private tourist sector - a fat 0 for Bonaire's public administration.

Can we start to make conclusions as to where the lethargy lies?

 

[Pedroinspain]

I'm still waiting for the list of places to go diving without any crime ???
Jim..

I agree with much that you write, Jim, but if your finale (quoted above) really the point?

Would you not prefer the 72 breakins - only of vehicles parked at dive sites - in 2015, to be markedly reduced by reasonably effective application of the law? I would humbly like to suggest that THAT is the point, not to wish for total utopia.

 

[The Chairman]

I get the angst on both sides here... and really we are all on the same side. Not one of us likes the situation. I park my Sprinter here in the US with tens of thousands of dollars of equipment in it with absolutely no issues about it's safety. Here in the Keys, up in cave country, Orlando and even Miami and I fully expect all of it to be there when I get back. If I'm in a higher crime area, like Miami, I'll throw the Garmin under the seat. But I would be surprised and upset if anyone were to break into it.

But we love Bonaire. Hell, we love all those 3rd world countries with beautiful diving. We're willing to deal with the inconvenience of not having a cell phone should an emergency arise. We'll overlook having to go back to the room in order to get money to go eat lunch. Some love Bonaire so much that they find this discussion uncomfortable to even have. They're upset that we're upset. Why can't Bonaire show that same level of concern and ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT??? For reals. It's obvious from this conversation that the tourists can do nothing about the problem, except to be inconvenienced or to vote with our fins. Those are out only two options: cope or avoid. If you want to grow the economy so that you can put these crooks to honest work, then it would be best for Bonaire to read this thread thread and act on it. Please, send a link (and the copy) of your favorite post in this thread to the peeps you deal with on Bonaire. They can ignore us, but the world won't. SB is how the world finds about where to dive. Flex our cyber muscle.

 

[Jersey]

Hell, we love all those 3rd world countries with beautiful diving...Why can't Bonaire show that same level of concern and ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT??? For reals.

Having worked on a US territory that falls into '3rd world country with beautiful dving' for a time, it must be the heat. I cannot explain 1/2 of what I experienced. Too many people living there all related to one another, too few resources, the coconut telegraph alive and well and a very real mentality against speaking up or out for anything. Is it fear of retribution? Fear of being shunned or cast out of the community? Something else? I don't know.

I do know when we told people (locals, Dutch and Americans) we were looking at real estate in Santa Barbara last week to a one they warned us of break ins. I'm guessing the coconut telegraph had the word on the street about this string. There are a few islands I've written off due to incidents and I really hope Bonaire isn't the next one.

 

[mmmbelows]

I do know when we told people (locals, Dutch and Americans) we were looking at real estate in Santa Barbara last week to a one they warned us of break ins. I'm guessing the coconut telegraph had the word on the street about this string. There are a few islands I've written off due to incidents and I really hope Bonaire isn't the next one.

You were looking at real estate in Santa Barbara or you were looking at real estate in Bonaire?

 

[mbs]

If you want to grow the economy so that you can put these crooks to honest work,

This thread seems to every once in a while attempt to talk about solutions... I'm afraid I am very pessimistic that there is a solution. Maybe patrolling the beaches could cut down on the petty stuff, maybe renting Hummers with bulletproof windows. Lock them all up? They'll be more and others will be released. I had a chat with a person on Curacao which made me even more pessimistic. The feeling was that over time this has become almost cultural, the easy way to get stuff. Its sad really, but how do you change that? Can one really expect that tourism will grow on these little islands to be able to provide honest jobs for all. And how to make these honest jobs more attractive then the easy way? I'm coming up on my 9th or 10th annual visit to Bonaire. Would I like to keep stuff in the truck to make life easier? Sure, but either way I am still going to enjoy the hell out of my week there! Maybe tomorrow I'll wake up in a more optimistic mood... It is going to be Friday

 

[Lorenzoid]

You were looking at real estate in Santa Barbara or you were looking at real estate in Bonaire?

I would imagine the answer is yes.

Google Maps

 

[mmmbelows]

Lock them all up? They'll be more and others will be released.

Ship them to the prison on Curacao. Running out of room, build another one, you've got plenty of free prison labor.