Catching a Thief in Bonaire???

[NightRaven77]

Ok....

Just curious...

Has anyone ever had the opprotunity or has caught a thief trying to steal something from you in Bonaire....like from your truck...or room...??

Im just curious if anyone has been involved in anything like that before....Ive heard all the stories of theft....but nothing along the lines of anyone catching anyone down there....

Any stories to share?

NightRaven77:14:

 

[No Fish]

I am headed there in a few weeks. I got some good tips on the Bonaire talk board..... I am more interested in how to avoid what you are asking, but nonetheless, interesting question.

 

[DeputyDan]

Lets see:

Put your self in a situation of confronting a criminal in a deserted location in a foreign country.

Probably not the way to spend a vacation.

Having dived Hawaii, Florida and Bonaire in the last year or so. The crime is much much less in Bonaire than in the other two.

 

[tjmills]

I am headed there in a few weeks. I got some good tips on the Bonaire talk board..... I am more interested in how to avoid what you are asking, but nonetheless, interesting question.

Where is the Bonaire Talk boards exactly?

 

[D_O_H]

www.bonairetalk.com is the BT board.

On the catch a thief business, I think the whole issue is way overblown. Just use a little common sense about not leaving valuables out (the same way you would at home) and you will be fine. I have never had anything stolen down there, nor have any of the people I've met while visitng.

 

[Goose75]

At one dive site I had a vehicle shadow us that appeared to be casing us out. They could have been just out enjoying the beach but it was pretty obvious they were waiting for us to leave. Since we followed the advice of not leaving anything worth stealing in the truck, we went ahead and began the dive without worrying about it. The suspicious vehicle was gone when we came back and our vehicle was still there with nothing missing. We went to other sites with lots of locals around and we had no other suspicious activity. I've had far more trouble at home. We also saw security trucks frequently.

 

[Tom Smedley]

We were staying at the old Lions Dive and a family with two teen boys was in a second floor apartment. The boys were sleeping in the living room area and awakened to see someone on the balcony going through gear that was left there. When they boys shouted the person left. There were scuff marks on the stucco where the person climbed onto an LP gas tank and then onto the balcony.

If you follow the same rules there that you do at home you shouldn't have problems. Would you leave dive gear hanging in your front yard at night? Would you leave your car parked downtown with a purse or expensive camera in sight on the front seat?

Before you accost a thief look into Bonaire Law. You are not generally allowed to assault another person to protect property. Aside from a couple of shady deals going bad amongst folks who do shady deals I have never heard of a violent crime against a visitor to Bonaire. Usually just petty theft that can be counteracted with common sense.

You are far safer in the worst areas of Krakendijk than you are in downtown at any major city at home.

 

[mike_s]

you figure the police have to know about the theft problem of tourist stuff.... they obvisousely aren't doing anything about it...

 

[Goose75]

you figure the police have to know about the theft problem of tourist stuff.... they obvisousely aren't doing anything about it...

I suspect they are. Security was a common site when I went in August. Either a security truck drving through the dive site or foot patrol at the hotel. They may not have been the best security in the world but there was an obvious attempt to protect tourists property and continued patronage. I agree with Tom, it's not that different than home can be.

 

[Kat]

I was there in August '05. We had our 2 dive books stolen, 2 pairs of shorts, our little cooler, a pair of sunglasses and our half drank Gatorades/Soda. I never saw any type of patroling, at all. No security, police...nothing.
I also did not consider any of these items to be valuable to anyone else. And the only thing that was valuable to us was the dive books. Everything else was no big deal.
We spent a good deal of time searching for our dive books, thinking the theives would toss them on the side of the road. Never found them.

I think the whole issue is way overblown.

Just because it has not happened to you, yet, does not mean it is not a problem.

you figure the police have to know about the theft problem of tourist stuff.... they obvisousely aren't doing anything about it...

Exactly.

You are far safer in the worst areas of Krakendijk than you are in downtown at any major city at home.

I'd like to compare the crime rate (theft) with the population in Bonaire & Chicago and see how it shakes out. I have been to the worst neighborhoods in Chicago hundreds of times. My personal belongings have faired much better in the ghetto than they did in Bonaire.


I went to the Police Dept. & filed a report. They told me they get several, every single day. Add that to the people who don't bother to report any theft, because it was just unimportant stuff taken. I would have let it go too, if it wasn't for the dive books.

You're not doing anyone traveling there any favors by falsely claiming it is not a problem. Especially when the police will outright tell you that it is a problem.