Wear Crocs

[lmorin]

During the past 10 days on Bonaire there was a murder, a carjacking, armed robberies at a supermarket and a convenience store, burglaries from at least two residences, and thefts reported from several vehicles (including Susan Porter's as mentioned previously.) I imagine that the victims in each incident probably "felt safe" right up to the point where they weren't.

One of the reason thieves steal items from unattended dive trucks is because groups like yours leave things like coolers and cameras behind. This kind of behavior contributes to the problem.

At the conclusion of our upcoming 3 week trip we'll have spent 25 weeks on the island spread over 17+ years. While we still enjoy the island we certainly don't "feel safe" there anymore. Crime per capita is significantly lower (by a factor of 3 to 4 times) in our home city of 300,000+ people than it is on tiny Bonaire. We have no qualms or problems leaving our US home or vehicles unattended for several weeks while on vacation. We had been contemplating purchasing vacation property on Bonaire with possibility of enjoying early retirement there in a few years. But not anymore. We'd be crazy to leave an unattended vacation home full of furnishings, appliances, electronics, dive gear and other valuables.

Would you please provide a link to this information. I did a cursory search about the murder report in a number of locations and found nothing, at least during the past 10 days. The Bonaire Reporter came out today and had no mention of it.

 

[darook]

Look on Facebook for Bonaire news. You can see it all there. The murder occurred in a private home and the alleged perps are in custody.

 

[wwguy]

Would you please provide a link to this information. I did a cursory search about the murder report in a number of locations and found nothing, at least during the past 10 days. The Bonaire Reporter came out today and had no mention of it.

Summaries of reported crimes are posted in Dutch language as "Press Releases" on the Bonaire police web page. For quick and easy English translation you can paste the police webpage URL into the left box at Google Translate and then click the "Translate" button. The shooting death was initially reported on Nov 4th, so you may need to scroll back through a couple of pages of press releases to find it.

Some folks have been following English translations of the police press releases posted by a private party on the "Forum Bonaire" Facebook page. This is an easy way to read some reports without translation, but it's worth noting that Forum Bonaire is under no obligation to post these... so it's possible you might not see everything there. However it's interesting to read the comments on some of the posts made by Bonaire residents and visitors. Here's the initial post and 41 comments pertinent to the shooting. This is a "public" FB page, so no FB account is required to view it.

 

[Lorenzoid]

According to the Forum Bonaire link, "the shooting" happened at a private home, not a business. Where are the reports of the supermarket and convenience store armed robberies you mentioned?

 

[wwguy]

Where are the reports of the supermarket and convenience store armed robberies you mentioned?

They're in the past 10 days posts at either of the sources I linked previously. Here's a quick link to Forum Bonaire's post with a few details. Looks like I made a mistake in my previous post. This report mentions a "supermarket" at one point and then a "convenience store" in a subsequent paragraph, but the street name appears to be the same for both. The only market on this downtown street is Top Supermarket (formerly Cultimara Supermarket), which we patronize when we visit.

So it appears that there was only one armed robbery (if you don't count the antecedent carjacking of the getaway vehicle at another market.) Maybe that will make some folks feel safer.

 

[hedgehog47]

I was diving at a local spot and actually saw a possibly homeless guy slip out of his own flip flops and just about to put his hepatitus infected feet into mine when I asked " I hope you aren't stealing my shoes ! " To which he apologized and stated that he was "moving" them.

Right. Next time that man is going to be eating some sand.

 

[lmorin]

Thanks for the link to the police blotter. I missed that info because it is in Dutch. Here is a Google translated update:
05-11-2014 Arrests in Case MAKAHA PDF Print
BONAIRE - On Tuesday, November 4th occurred around 4:00 pm a shooting incident in the district Mampariakutu at house number 19 where there were two casualties. The 18-year-old victim, Aron Paula, here is killed and the 20-year-old victim, also with initials AP is hereby injured. The police immediately set up a forensic examination and a search on the spot. The investigation set up by the police in collaboration with the Royal Military Constabulary and RST, received indications about the possible perpetrators of the shooting incident. Two suspects were in relation to the shooting incident arrested in the evening of Tuesday, November 4, a 23-year-old man with initials KGF and a 20-year-old man with initials M.L.S. During the action was also read the 22-year-old man with initials FJP arrested. Suspicions exist for committing atrako's against him. The latter accused has as yet no relation to the shooting incident. Six searches were also conducted at various locations on Bonaire where goods are also several confiscated. The research will be continued.

Another update:
BONAIRE - On Friday, November 7, 2014, late in the afternoon, was the ongoing investigation Mahaka (shooting fatal Mampariakuto), a woman with initials GM arrested for violating the Firearms BES. The suspect was surrounded and interrogated and was sent away on Saturday, November 8, 2014.