Bonaire Crime - Our experience - Looking for input to share

[Kharon]

.... We had to pay for rental dive equipment which was also stolen. ...

This just sounds fishy. I'm assuming you took extra precautions after you had been robbed once.

Please tell us the full circumstances of both robberies - where was the gear taken from, was it locked up, what time of day did it happen, what kind of gear was taken, was there a break in (with damage or without), etc. Note: this information has been asked for several times without reply.

... Yes, crime happens everywhere. It is just that it happens far too frequently in Bonaire without the perpetrators being brought to account ...

Somehow, I'm a bit sceptical of your statement. Rather light on actual statistics and facts. To be clear, I'm not encouraging you do go back. There are too many tourists now, lol.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Just being a crime nerd, but a home break-in is a burglary, not a robbery. Robbery is when you're threatened with a weapon to give up your valuables. Burglaries when no one is home are, sadly, unsurprising. Robberies scare me.

 

[oldschoolto]

They were only broken into once.. They did have to pay AB rental for the dive gear they were renting that was stolen..

As far a the police.. They sent a crime unit over and did DNA recovery.. Finger prints and photos.. The local policemen handling this case informed the people that they had leads and are working on it.. Asked for help from anyone that saw something.. You can read it on one of the Bonaire Facebook pages...

Jim

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[oldschoolto]

Lev Anikst Hello all! We returned home to Santa Monica yesterday. This morning I am going back to work to catch up with a ton of work that piled up in my absence and my wife will be unpacking. This Bonaire vacation was a roller coaster ride! It started with my bag being delayed in Houston, so I had no dive gear or clothes for the first two days while the bag was routed through Amsterdam. When It finally arrived last Monday night we were elated! "Now we can really start our vacation and relax", we said to ourselves. Tuesday April 3rd, my wife's birthday, was a beautiful day. We dove Hilma Hooker, explored the south end of the island, drove to Lac Bay, saw flamingos, even squeezed in another dive at the Yellow Submarine. In the evening we had dinner an "It rains fishes" in town. The food was good, atmosphere festive. Our local waitress, Marie Lou, was very friendly. When we came home that fateful evening everything was changed. That is when we discovered that the house on the water we rented by the Bachelor's beach was broken into we had been robbed. It is a horrible feeling of despair. You feel violated, angry and helpless all at the same time. Then the long night with the Police. Next day, Wednesday wasted on waiting for "Forensics Team" (a lady with a briefcase) and the rest of the day recounting our story several times and listing stolen items at the Police station the rest of the day Wednesday. Our host Walter invited us to this group. Once I posted our story the messages of support started pouring in. Since most of our equipment was gone we were distraught about not being able to enjoy the rest of our stay. That's when James Ohare gave my wife a mask an a snorkel she needed and then Casper Douma from VIP Dive loaned us flashlights and dive computer for our dives. We worked out a deal with AB rental to minimize the financial impact of the lost rental gear. Our host Walter loaned us his GoPro. By Thursday morning we had very well recovered and were able to resume our diving vacation. The next few days were great. We did 7 more dives, got lots of good underwater video and truly enjoyed our vacation to the fullest. The "cherry on top" of our stay was a beautiful dinner at Karen van Dijk's Bon Aroma restaurant. This vacation was truly a crazy roller coaster ride with ups and downs, but at the end we still had a great time. This is a vacation we will always remember. The outpouring of support and generosity was amazing. I thank you all for your words of support and advice as well as the deeds and material support of a few Bonaireans who helped make our vacation a success. We are certainly coming back, but next time we will be much more careful and wiser.

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Marina Melis Thank you for the information you have shared, and we hope you wil return one day!
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[hilljo88]

FWIW I had my luggage stolen on train from Schipol Airport into Amsterdam. Thief grabbed bag and ran off the train. I reported it at police station in the Amsterdam train station. Their response:" Oh yes, that happens all the time." Is it a Dutch cultural heritage thing for police to be casual about theft?

 

[oldschoolto]

Dutch law is not US law.. You may not hurt someone that breaks into your home .. Dutch are VERY liberal and people of greater means are not allowed to protect themselves or property... The very thing that some of us love about Bonaire (NO RULES) also has a bad side.. I like the freedom and will leave nothing to steal in my truck with the windows down.. Well, There is cold beer and drinks in the pickup bed.. Hope they leave me a cold one for the ride to the police station to make a report...

Jim

 

[scuba127]

oldschoolto.....nice recovery from what was clearly a bad situation...I'm impressed and glad you were able to get some diving in and enjoy yourselves to some degree....just out of curiosity....the house broken into wasn't Casa Del Sol was it?

 

[oldschoolto]

oldschoolto.....nice recovery from what was clearly a bad situation...I'm impressed and glad you were able to get some diving in and enjoy yourselves to some degree....just out of curiosity....the house broken into wasn't Casa Del Sol was it?

It wasn't me... I was part of the people who came to the aid of Mr Lev Anisik and his wife afterwards.. The people of Bonaire came together and we tried our best to help them.. I even talked with Lev the night before they left and asked if they need money for the return home.. I was ready to give them "CASH" out of my pocket.. If he has had a change of heart and doesn't return to Bonaire, So be it.. I know I did everything in my power to make sure they had a good time....

Jim...

 

[woodcarver]

Since I haven't ask him whether or not he helps with petty crimes or not, I can't speak to whether theft falls in his lane. But this guy, Doug Searle, bonairehelpdesk.com, helps when an English speaking person has to deal with Dutch officialdom. It is very different than in the US.
His position is to help navigate through the system. He deals with stuff from someone getting in trouble with the law to helping repatriate remains when someone dies while on the island. It wouldn't surprise me if he might be able to provide some guidance if you've been the victim of a crime while on the island. Doug is also the pastor at the International Bible Church on Bonaire. He's also an avid diver.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Oldschoolto, it seems to me that scubalev is grateful to everyone on Bonaire that helped him and his wife. None of that should preclude him from being unhappy about the initial situation and re-thinking that when he returned home. Being grateful that there are some lovely people to help you out when you've been thrust into a situation that shouldn't have occurred in the first place, is not the same as being rightfully angry about what happened in the first place! And none of that negates his thanks and or gratitude to those that helped him, after the fact!