Bonaire Crime - Our experience - Looking for input to share

[wwguy]

Our first trip to Bonaire was in 1997. Our rental truck had a big decal about the size of a bumper sticker stuck to the passenger side dashboard. In big block letters it clearly stated that the truck should be left unlocked at all times and that renters would be responsible for any damage to any glass on the truck.

 

[KathyV]

...But, I was born and raised in NYC.... So I understand crime and how to be careful....

Well, I was born and raised in Chicago and I understand crime and how to be careful, too. In fact, I worked in the city for many years up until about 3 weeks ago.

But the prevalent culture of accepting crime and blaming the victim - which is so commonplace on Bonaire - is not typical of my other vacation experiences.

 

[mmmbelows]

@mmmbelows:

I know that sounds lame and that the police 'should' always be able to get enough evidence to catch the bad guys, but I would suggest that there is equally not enough evidence (that we forum users have access to) to believe that the Bonaire police are obviously incompetent or are corrupt. I would not be surprised if in the end it turns out that there are many sides to this tale. Also pure speculation, of course, but based on reading a good few Dutch articles on the issue. Still, I agree to a hint of suspicion of local politics in this matter (LOL ... also pure speculation) ;-)

Over the years the evidence has been over-whelming that the police are indifferent.

Bonaire is a small island, like all small island communities the coconut telegraph is alive and well, the police are not unaware of what it going on and who is doing it, they number one look at letting them prey on the tourists as better then them preying on the locals, number two they don't want to arrest their 2nd cousin and have to face the wrath of their relatives.

 

[oldschoolto]

Over the years the evidence has been over-whelming that the police are indifferent.

Bonaire is a small island, like all small island communities the coconut telegraph is alive and well, the police are not unaware of what it going on and who is doing it, they number one look at letting them prey on the tourists as better then them preying on the locals, number two they don't want to arrest their 2nd cousin and have to face the wrath of their relatives.

Then why is the jail full ? Why are they building a newer, bigger jail ? .... I don't buy the cops are all fine with it...

Jim...

 

[KathyV]

Then why is the jail full ? Why are they building a newer, bigger jail ?....

Because Bonaire's jail also serves as the repository for criminals from other Dutch Caribbean islands including Saba and St. Eustatius, so it only has enough room for criminals that commit "serious crimes" and theft against tourists isn't considered serious - which is the point that bothers me.

I truly believe in the concept of the "Caribbean island telegraph" where most everybody knows everybody else, and here's an example. One of our earliest trips outside of the US was to Jamaica, an island with a permanent population of 2.5 million and loads of tourists, as compared to the mere 17,000 permanent residents on Bonaire and the relatively small numbers of divers and cruisers that annually visit the island.

We didn't rent a car in Jamaica and we hired a driver to take us from the airport to Negril. He was a nice guy and gave us his number and urged us to use his services for the return trip in 2 weeks and we agreed.

We didn't like our hotel and after a day or two we moved to another location. A few days before we were scheduled to leave the island we were snorkeling in a nearby cove and were surprised to see our cab driver standing on the shore waiting for us to get out of the water! We hadn't left a forwarding address at the original hotel but he had managed to track us to our new hotel and then find out where we were going snorkeling that afternoon! He wanted to remind us that we had promised to use him for the trip back to the airport. We were still quite willing to hire him but it was a little creepy to see him standing there waiting for us.

So if a taxi driver can easily track down a couple of tourists on a much more heavily populated island like Jamaica, I can't imagine that it would be terribly difficult for a good policeman to find the criminals on a tiny island like Bonaire. Just my opinion.

 

[kelemvor]

I can understand not wanting to fill jails with petty thieves. However, breaking into a home and stealing thousands of dollars worth of stuff is way beyond petty theft. Maybe Bonaire needs a "chain gang" type program where criminals can quickly work off their sentence. It would allow the government cheap labor to improve the country and help dissuade what appears to be a rampant crime problem in the country.

Even if the problems do (now or in the future) significantly damage the tourism industry I bet the authorities would not recognize the source of the problem as such. Who knows, it could already be damaging the industry - I know I'd never go to Bonaire for this reason. On the other hand, I may be uncommon in how timid a traveler I am.

 

[KeithG]

i have been to Bonaire about a dozen times (more or less) and have never had anything stolen.

my very first vacation to acapulco resulted in the theft of a needle from my emergency sewing kit - a button fell off my shirt and after making hasty repairs I left the sewing kit on the table of our hotel room - only the needle was gone, all of the thread was left - apparently it was a very nice needle.

To date in my lifetime I have had more things stolen from my "home" than from any place I vacationed.
- many years ago the change I habitually left in the ash tray of my unsecured convertable was taken on a regular basis (slow learner)
- several years ago a bunch of kids stole a pair of rollerblades from my garage ( i saw them running away)
- just last summer someone stole my elcheapo lawn sprinter, but they left my garden hose...
(well i did have a car stolen once, but I got my revenge with a brick through the drivers window...)

I have no worries about travelling to Bonaire.

 

[Pedroinspain]

I buy the story that poverty on Bonaire is not a valid excuse. Sure there are some humble dwellings, but I saw no emaciated figures grouped around the supermarket exits. It has to be cultural; i.e. a tolerance of being lenient on "locals".

The police provide statistics (2015 - in papiamento): - http://www.politiecn.com/images/stories/20160309_CRIMINALITEITSCIJFERS BONAIRE 2015 DEF.PDF

# The population of Bonaire has increased from 15823 in 2011 to 18905 in 2015 = just short of 20%, probably 5 times too high to be due to natural population growth. This has to mean massive immigration.
# There are 141 persons in police service on Bonaire = 749 per 100 000 of population.
# In 2015 there were 72 break-ins of vehicles at dive sites.
# Over the past 5 years 'miscellaneous' theft has decreased remarkably (no individual data on progression at dive sites)

Now let's look at other Dutch reports and evaluate it.
# In 2013 Caribisch Netwerk published "Crime celebrates high tide on Bonaire .... no-one saw this coming." What!!?? Curacao had been in a crime wave for nearly 3 decades. Tourist were reporting increased thefts in Bonaire in the mid-1990s. This smacks of "lovely island; happy people; sound tourism industry; can't really be a problem; therefore let's stick our heads in the sand".
# Three years later (2016) the same Caribisch Netwerk reports "Tourists aren't safe and we, the Chinese small business owners, are not either". Three years and it has got worse? Who else has their head in the "happy people" sand?
# Also in 2013 Trix van Bennekom, Dutch freelance writer on Carib matters wrote "I am concerned that violence is becoming more and more associated with robberies". She blames it on the massive influx of rich Dutch permanent residents. More "the wealth gap PC reasoning"? More "happy people" denial?

In July 2014, Bearing Point - Government News' reported that "the Bonaire police are beginning with an offensive against the wave of assaults on the island." And? Why 'begin' only in 2014? Because the police apparently have a staff shortage. Really? Let us see how the Bonaire police ratio of 749 per 100 000 of population compares to other countries (source - Wiki):
Bahamas - 848; Antigua - 733; Barbados - 497; Belize - 415; Bermuda - 729; Cayman - 625; Costa Rica - 337; Netherlands - 328. So this 'official' excuse of 'police under-staffing' is almost pure bovine doo-doo.

It seems that the Bonaire police focus specifically on cases where violence is involved. Logical ... right? But with their 'understaffing', does this mean that the rest get scant attention? It certainly seems so. So how about a blitz exercise with help from other Dutch islands?

Three decades ago the Rotterdam police chief got into hot water for stating publicly that Antillians were responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime in his city. Is this where the head-in-the-sand attitude starts - Dutch PC? The chief's claim was supported in the book "Minorities, Migrants, and Crime: Diversity and Similarity Across Europe" edited by Ineke Haen Marshall, so his 'crime' was that he STATED this fact. I lived in Holland for 10 years. I can fully believe that.

So after 3 days of scratching I can conclude that there is no consensus as to the reasons for the high crime rate. But it is almost impossible not to conclude that after 2 decades of warnings, police inefficiency has to be at least partially involved.

 

[Ninelinegoby]

I've been to Bonaire over 20 times. Never had a problem. If you leave valuables itn your car there's a chance it might get broken in to. But isn't that the same I any city in the US.
Same goes for where you stay. I would NEVER stay anywhere that I couldn't secure the house, apartment or condo when I left or at night.
I love everything about Bonaire and will continue to go back. To hear people talk about the crime there is crap. There is crime every where. Be smart about where you stay and your vehicle. Don't leave anything in plain sight, that's asking for trouble.

 

[lmorin]

From the Bonaire Reporter (02-24-14):

NIBUD, the respected Dutch National Institute for Budget Information was commissioned by the local government to determine minimum budgets for living in Bonaire. In a detailed report NIBUD shows that many Bonairean people don’t make enough money to live decently. NIBUD provided detailed minimum budgets for the family situations listed below:
Single Man: $1,462
Single Woman: $1,472
Cohabiting Couple: $1,926
Single Mother With One Child: $1,864
Single Mother With Two Children: $2,269
Couple With One Child: $2,291
Couple With Two Children: $2,863
Single AOV (Retirement) $1,451
Couple AOV $1,853

According to the table above, a single woman, for example, needs a salary of $1472 per month to survive. The minisingle woman who receives that minimum wage is $657.12 below what subsistence living requires. The situation for retired people is even worse. Bonaire’s maximum government pension payment is $577 per month. That’s $874 less than it take to live on the subsistence level NIBUD calculates at $1451 per month. Astoundingly, retirees need 2.5 times more if NIBUD is correct. Compare that to the adult minimum wage in European Holland, $88.80 per day (€64.55 ) for full time work. Working an eight-hour day earns a wage of $2043.74 a month (€1,485.60).

A common “target” for the minimum wage is 50% of the average income. (Note: $1 = €1.38)
However, according to published figures, the average income of a working European Dutch person is a lot more, about €2917 per month. Because of Social Support even non-working people get €1875 per month.

Initially a faction on the Bonaire Island Council wanted to table the NIBUD report for further study, but it was leaked to the press. The government finally has been provided with objective figures. Its intention is to discuss what to do next. In The Netherlands the minimum wage is currently €1,485.60/month G.D.