Is there a theft risk at Buddy Dive???

[Adaveke]

Aeveke, would you be tempted to take a person's reg out of a parked car? I doubt it. Nor would I. Here's a better example: woman routinely wear provocative attire that accentuates thier figures, low cut dresses, short skirts ,etc. Are you tempted to grope any of them and violate them? Are you moved to rape? Of course not.

I would not be tempted to take a reg.
But would you be tempted if you saw a bag whit money loaded with $100 bills and nobody was around?
We have to realise that people have different chances in life and different standards.
I'm not saying it is okay to take anything that doesn't belong to you, but i certainly do understand that people do it in certain cases. (you don't know who will come along and what their situation is).

Please be assured that I shall never ever be tempted by any woman, how reveiling she may be. But I get your point.
Besides I think that sexual crimes are something completely different from crimes that target property. But never mind, it will take us to far...

 

[robint]

Boycotting the island won't work as many visitors are not from the US, they are from Europe and elsewhere. It would take alot of work, more than just idle rantings on a forum like this, to organize.

I would love to see a PERMANENT guard posted at the parking lots of some of the dive sites. I think that might be the only way to discourage to auto break-ins. Karpata, Andrea I & II, and 1000 steps in particular, are up north closer to the small towns where it seems the criminals live. There are very, very few thefts from vehicles the farther south on the island you go. I would even pay a "valet" to watch cars in that area. Maybe a $1-2 tip for each car? That might work, too.

I am not going to boycott the island personally. The diving there is great and 99% of the population does not need to get punished for what 1% does.

robin

 

[pilot fish]

What steps do you think the Gov of Bonaire should take to makes divers safer from crime? Do you think they are now doing enough? Could they, SHOULD they, do better than what they are doing now, which is very little? Don't you think divers deserve better than what they are getting?

 

[Adaveke]

Boycotting the island won't work as many visitors are not from the US, they are from Europe and elsewhere. It would take alot of work, more than just idle rantings on a forum like this, to organize.

I would love to see a PERMANENT guard posted at the parking lots of some of the dive sites. I think that might be the only way to discourage to auto break-ins. Karpata, Andrea I & II, and 1000 steps in particular, are up north closer to the small towns where it seems the criminals live. There are very, very few thefts from vehicles the farther south on the island you go. I would even pay a "valet" to watch cars in that area. Maybe a $1-2 tip for each car? That might work, too.

I am not going to boycott the island personally. The diving there is great and 99% of the population does not need to get punished for what 1% does.

robin

That's actually the way things work in Cuba. You pay a local a dollar (or more, but usually a dollar will be enough) and they sit next to your car. Works like a charm...
Unfortunately the standard of living in Bonaire seems (not sure though) to be higher that the standard of living in Cuba so I think the prices would be higher as well.
I'm not against paying a certain amount to park my car safely. Heck, in Belgium I'm paying to park my car unsafe ("the owner of this parking lot is not liable for any theft or vandalism.").

 

[pilot fish]

That's a very good start. I'd like to see the Gov hire some guards to do that but if not, THEY DO NOTHING, then pay somone yourself. It's a good start to eradicate crime.

Boycotting the island won't work as many visitors are not from the US, they are from Europe and elsewhere. It would take alot of work, more than just idle rantings on a forum like this, to organize.

I would love to see a PERMANENT guard posted at the parking lots of some of the dive sites. I think that might be the only way to discourage to auto break-ins. Karpata, Andrea I & II, and 1000 steps in particular, are up north closer to the small towns where it seems the criminals live. There are very, very few thefts from vehicles the farther south on the island you go. I would even pay a "valet" to watch cars in that area. Maybe a $1-2 tip for each car? That might work, too.

I am not going to boycott the island personally. The diving there is great and 99% of the population does not need to get punished for what 1% does.

robin

 

[Rick Murchison]

Ah, yes, well, y'all are nothing if not persistent.
So, let's take a look at this morning's report from Charlotte... another single day, but we'll look a little farther & see what we can conclude using Pilot Fish logic...
Here's the Charlotte stealing report for 20 JAN 2010:

Larceny from vehicle. SANTA LUCIA DR
Stolen vehicle. OSAGE CR
Larceny from vehicle. MEADOW ROSE LN
Robbery from person-armed. E INDEPENDENCE BV & IDLEWILD RD
Break/enter commercial. MARLOWE AV
Break/enter residential-occupied. BRITTANY CT
Larceny from vehicle. PEACH PARK LN
Robbery from business-armed. EAST ARBORS DR
Burglary - Break/enter residential-occupied. DALLAS AV
Stolen vehicle. NOBLES AV
Burglary - Break/enter commercial. ALBEMARLE RD
Larceny from vehicle. NORTHBEND DR
Robbery from business-armed. CAROWINDS BV
Burglary - Break/enter residential-unoccupied. CENTRAL AV
Larceny from vehicle. NORTHBEND DR
Larceny from vehicle. FEATHERBROOK RD
Robbery from person-armed. N TRYON ST
Break/enter residential-unoccupied. MILHAVEN LN
Stolen vehicle. MALLARD CREEK RD
Break/enter residential-unoccupied. MEADOWDALE LN
Break/enter residential-unoccupied. FALLOW LN
Break/enter residential-unoccupied. SILKSTREAM LN
Larceny. FREEDOM DR
Larceny. SOUTH BV
Larceny. THE PLAZA
Fraud/forgery.SHARON RD
Break/enter residential-unoccupied. PEBBLESTONE DR
Larceny. N TRYON ST
Fraud/forgery. N TRYON ST
Larceny from vehicle. WINDY VALLEY DR
Break/enter commercial. EASTWAY DR
Stolen vehicle. PARK RD
Larceny from vehicle. UNIVERSITY E DR
Break/enter residential-unoccupied. SHARON POINTE RD
Fraud/forgery. PACES GLEN AV
Break/enter residential-unoccupied. WEDGEWOOD DR
Larceny CAROLINA PLACE PY
Break/enter commercial. LOOKOUT LN
Larceny. PINEBURR RD
Larceny from vehicle. WATER OAK RD
Break/enter residential-unoccupied. JEFFERSON DR
Larceny from vehicle. E MALLARD CREEK CHURCH RD
Break/enter residential-unoccupied. ROSLYN AV
Break/enter residential-occupied. CRANDON DR
Larceny. E W T HARRIS BV
Larceny. PATRIOT DR
Break/enter residential-unoccupied. FARMHURST DR
Break/enter residential-unoccupied. WIND CHIME CT
Larceny from vehicle. PARK RD
Break/enter residential-unoccupied.SHARON RD
Break/enter residential-unoccupied.EAST BARDEN RD
Break/enter residential-unoccupied. VAIL AV
Larceny.N TRYON ST
Larceny from vehicle. E W T HARRIS BV
Break/enter residential-occupied. WICKHAM LN
Stolen vehicle. PICASSO CT
Larceny from vehicle. GROVE CREST LN
Larceny from vehicle. FRANKLIN AV
Larceny from vehicle. QUEENS RD
Break/enter commercial. HARRIS TECHNOLOGY BV
Larceny from vehicle. DARTMOUTH PL
Larceny from vehicle. FRANKLIN AV
Break/enter residential-unoccupied. REEVES CT
Break/enter commercial. ORR RD
Larceny from vehicle. SCOTT FUTRELL DR
---
Now, here is the list of ARRESTS made in Charlotte for the same day:

Drug possession-substance/paraphernalia.
Drug possession-substance/paraphernalia.
Driving while license revoked.
Driving while license revoked.
Driving while license revoked.
Drug possession-substance/paraphernalia.
Careless/reckless driving.
Indecent exposure.
Drug possession-substance/paraphernalia.
Drug possession-substance/paraphernalia.
Juvenile-weapon at school.
Juvenile-weapon at school.
Indecent exposure.
Indecent exposure.
Drug possession-substance/paraphernalia.
Drug possession-substance/paraphernalia.
Dv-violation of legal order.
Careless/reckless driving.
Carrying concealed weapon.
--
You'll notice the total absence of arrests for theft, robbery or burglary, though there's no shortage of perps on the loose.
So, we can conclude that the police in Charlotte don't care about theft, that the citizens of Charlotte just have to accept petty (and felony - like breaking and entering your house while you're in it) theft as a fact of life, and even that there must be some kind of collusion between the petty theives and the police in Charlotte.
That is, if you apply the same logic to the situation that PF and a few others here are applying to Bonaire.
--
What do I think? I think petty theft is a problem anywhere you go. I think that there's no place where the police have the funding and/or the manpower to pursue petty theives actively, and I think that it is up to each of us to protect ourselves from criminals to the maximum extent possible - and that in most cases petty thievery can be thwarted with minimal precautions.
That doesn't mean it's the "victim's fault" when they get robbed - it's the thief's "fault." What it does mean is that if you don't want to be a victim you have to take some positive action to prevent it, from voting the thieves out of office to making sure you don't leave valuables in an unwatched truck on Bonaire, and taking steps to prevent being ripped off everywhere in between.
--
In other words, Bonaire on the whole is no worse than any other place I've been, and a whole lot safer than most. A change in police tactics (on Bonaire and in Charlotte) may yield better results in keeping a lid on petty thievery - I know they occasionally do catch one on Bonaire... don't know about Charlotte - but I realize I'm not a cop and any advice I have for 'em is worth the price they pay for it.
---
I also note that PF is from NYC... where I had a friend who got rid of his garbage during the garbage strike by boxing it and leaving it in an unlocked car. It was stolen within a few minutes of his leaving the car, every time, without fail
Rick
Thump a thief a day...

 

[robint]

Rick - I don't think that is a fair comparison as Charlotte is a city of over 500k people covering an area about the size of Bonaire. Big city crime is different from remote dive sites on an island.

Yes, I agree the petty thefts in Bonaire are ugly and I wish they didn't happen.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Rick - I don't think that is a fair comparison as Charlotte is a city of over 500k people covering an area about the size of Bonaire. Big city crime is different from remote dive sites on an island.

Yes, I agree the petty thefts in Bonaire are ugly and I wish they didn't happen.

What's not fair is the singling out of Bonaire for disdain and finger-pointing when the "problem" is just as prevalent everywhere else in the world, including the finger-pointers' own back yards.
As for size, I mentioned in an earlier post that the Blackbeard's crew was able to devote the manpower to uncover a petty thief on a boat with 20 folks on board who couldn't go anywhere else, as they were at sea. It wasn't an instant find, though.
While it is tempting to put an island with only a few thousand folks in the same category as a boat at sea... as a practical matter of manpower required to catch petty thieves I can tell you from experience on larger vessels that once you get past a few hundred folks you may as well be dealing with a million. It is individual effort that must prevail, with the police to back you up should things turn nasty.
Rick

 

[DeputyDan]

NEWS FLASH!

Herman and I arrived on Bonaire last night and Buddy Dive was still there.
No one has stolen it!

Now back to regularly scheduled whining!

 

[gypsyjim]

NEWS FLASH!

Herman and I arrived on Bonaire last night and Buddy Dive was still there.
No one has stolen it!

Now back to regularly scheduled whining!

The risks that you and Herman are willing to take to keep us all informed
My turn for a week this June