SAFE STOLEN OFF WALL IN BONAIRE / Important trip report

[Trwmodela]

READ THIS...from a couple that moved to Bonaire in 2006

"We are very happy we moved here. We like it much better than Florida. The people are very friendly and there is a true sense of community. The biggest drawback is that theft is a constant concern. I think any reports of crime on Bonaire talk are censored unless you have a police report to accompany your statement, so if you want to know more details, send me a private message. Make sure that when you move you will have some type of security system (bars on windows, security service, dogs, a safe, etc.) that you feel comfortable with. We didn't realize how prevalent theft was until we moved here. We were aware that trucks get broken into while people are diving, but home break-ins seem to be common as well. My advice would be to live simply, without a lot of valuables, and remember that they are just things and can be replaced."

 

[Compressor]

Is it true that the some cops are corrupt in Bonaire?

 

[Tigerman]

"Some cops" are corrupt EVERYWHERE would probably be the truth..

 

[Trwmodela]

Hi Tim,


Thank you for your email.

At Belmar Apartments we do have a Security Guard at night who guards the entire property... We recently ordered a more advanced security system with motion sensors and cameras and this will be in place soon.

We always tell people not to leave the apartment doors unlocked and the sliding doors to the porches open when they are not in the apartment or when they go to sleep.... Just like you wouldn't do at home either! Unfortunately Bonaire has had some burglaries recently and this has indeed been mentioned on for example the website 'Bonaire Talk'.

I talked to a police man earlier this week and he told me that they just catched some thieves. They do their utmost of course to prevent all this as it is bad for the image of our beautiful island...

Regarding the break-ins in the trucks we warn divers already for years (even with big stickers on the dash board) never to leave any valuables in the trucks while diving and to leave the doors unlocked.

Wherever you travel around the world or where you live you should always be careful.

We are really looking forward to welcome you at Belmar in January and please let me know if you do have more questions.

 

[tedtim]

I am wondering if the Hotel's Security guard could be in on this one.

We were thinking more like it was the maid that would be in on this. The maid would have knowledge of what type of stuff you have in your room.

 

[rjchandler]

{SNIP}

But, I am parking in Fort Lauderdale for 17-days next month for my Nekton Trip.

Ya sure this is safe? given all the trouble you have had travelling in Florida?

 

[Trwmodela]

Ya sure this is safe? given all the trouble you have had travelling in Florida?

Don't really know but I am not leaving anything inside my truck of value. All my equipment and camera gear will be on Nekton and that is never an issue. It's much safer then keeping stuff in a hotel room on land.

 

[highdesert]

We had cash stolen from our room in Bonaire while we were in the living room of the condo. We had an electrical problem that required the maintenance guy to come in to fix it. He was in the hallway and bedrooms while four of us hung out in the living room. When he was gone, so was part of our cash ...no mistake or other possible explanation. So anyway, inside jobs are not unknown in Bonaire. It would not surprise me to learn that the "security guard" in this case was doubling as a "lookout" for the bad guys.

Further, I agree with those who say that these people are slitting their own throats. Yes, there are social issues in Bonaire that need help. But in general, even after driving all the back roads on the island, there are nowhere near the numbers of truly destitute people living on Bonaire as there are on, say, Roatan. And while there are thefts on Roatan, I don't believe they come near, in percentage terms, those on Bonaire. There appears, at least in my mind, to be something endemic about the issue there.

Right, back to "slitting their own throats ..." Diving is a gold mine for Bonaire; I don't see where they have a lot of options to replace that income stream for the island. If the locals think there are problems now, perhaps they need to understand how well off they'd be (or not!) if the dive industry there tanked due to their own actions toward visitors.

I could easily make the argument for myself that there are a lot of other places in the world to dive; maybe I'll pass on Bonaire just to "broaden my perspective" of the world. And no, we don't have the kind of disposable income that makes the world smaller in terms of affording travel to the far reaches, but I for one will avoid Bonaire until things show some improvement there, regardless of the fact that it may be the best bang for the buck for Americans diving the Caribbean.

 

[snepdiver]

Wow, The safe stolen right off the wall.

We had no problems on our last trip. I guess we were lucky.

 

[scubabanker]

The ironic part of this whole thing was we always stay at the belmar and never had a problem. But this trip my friends invited us to stay with them and told us the belmar was to expensive. She told the owner of the place that I had wanted to stay at the belmar and she said well the belmar had break in the week before and we have never had a robbery. Talk about jinxing us.
I love the belmar and never had a problem there. The staff is wonderful and it is funny the night that we got rob could not find any one at the place we were staying at but was able to drive down to belmar and got Butchy who call the police for us.
So from now on it will always be the belmar for us. Besides their safes are in the ground so there is no way the thieves could drill them out of the wall and make of with it like they did with ours.