Crime in Bonaire?

[NightRaven77]

I would also like to think that the people whom maybe have politcal backround in Bonaire are reading the posts........It seems they have some battle damage to mend and therfore maybe this post is doing some good.........Im sure that we all have good intentions to help solve the problems that they have and shed some light for them to help them economically..........

 

[SharkOfBonaire]

NightRaven77 once bubbled...
I feel bad that Bonaire has this bad rep..........

Imagine how I feel ;-0 . I have to deal with this (the rep, that is) almost daily.

Particularly because it's unjust. Someone already mentioned that Bonaire is the number 1 shore diving location in the world; therefore, we rent a lot of cars. It's a matter of odds. That's no excuse, only an explanation.

Speaking of odds, I've been doing some calculations. My company has around 100 pick up trucks available for rental, which are "out there" almost constantly throughout the year (we hardly have a low season anymore). At an average of about 5 days per rental, that comes to some 6000 rentals per year.
Let's assume 2 break ins per month. I'm fairly sure it's less than that, but let's stay on the liberal side. That would come to 0.4% of all rentals suffering a break in; one in 250. I'm convinced I would end up with 0.2 or even 0.1 if I had all the correct figures.
Of course, everybody wants to see that number drop to 0, nobody more so than the people of Bonaire. But I'm afraid that's unrealistic in today's society, even in the Caribbean.

 

[pablosells]

I just got back from the three weeks in Bonaire and I'd have to say that the problem is probably worse than anybody thinks. Our cars were searched at least 75% of the time. The thieves are looking for valuables and not just to inconvenience people. Most of the time nothing was taken from the car but we would notice that the visors were down or the ashtray was open.

My spare parts kit, towels, food, water, sandals, etc. were never taken but my buddy and I had shorts stolen once. I think that what the thieves do is grab shorts because people tend to leave money in them.

Although the problem is serious and terrible, it would not discourage me from traveling to Bonaire again. Just take simple precautions, leave the car unlocked, and nothing of value inside.

After all the warnings I really can't stand to hear any complaints from people who leave cameras and money in their locked or unlocked car and find them gone when they return. Every country is different and if you want to travel you just need to learn to deal with it. I felt much safer in Bonaire that in Europe, South America, or even the US for that matter.

 

[muldoonthief]

SharkofBonaire,

Do you recommend to renters that they leave the vehicle unlocked, windows opened, nothing in car while diving? If so, what percentage do you think follow that advice? I ask because that would affect your calculations - people who do that would not be reporting break-ins, since they might not even know someone had gone through their car (no windows to break, nothing in car to go missing).

To me (and several other posters here apparently), not being able to leave anything behind in the car while shore diving is unacceptable, regardless of the quality of the diving. What pablosells describes as "simple precautions" would seriously degrade my diving/vacation enjoyment.

 

[Asweptwing]

Let's not kid ourselves!.

Most divers going to Bonaire have not visited this forum and are totally oblivious to the crime (petty or not) picture at the shore dive sites. That's the situation we found ourselves in and we were totally unaware of the potential for thefts in such a tranquil location.

Sure, we don't leave expensive equipment laying around at home and we didn't in Bonaire either, but at home we can replace stuff relatively cheaply and easily. We travel with what we need and allow for few extras.

To make a long story short....too late! We had no prior indication of "trouble in Paradise" from anyone we spoke to prior to our first days shore diving. After that few locals and employees would acknowledge trouble and few vacationing divers were aware of it unless they had personally experienced a loss.

To me that just seems the nature of the beast. Now we are better informed and will adjust our behavior to conserve our resources (ie. not carry anything to a shore dive that's not submersible in a BC pocket).

 

[SharkOfBonaire]

muldoonthief once bubbled...
Do you recommend to renters that they leave the vehicle unlocked, windows opened, nothing in car while diving? If so, what percentage do you think follow that advice? I ask because that would affect your calculations - people who do that would not be reporting break-ins, since they might not even know someone had gone through their car (no windows to break, nothing in car to go missing).

Hi muldoonthief,

You're right, I can only go by what I see or hear and in that aspect the numbers may be higher. Unfortunately, even in a case of theft (without damage to the car), many people decline to go the police to file a report. I admit that the police is not always helpful when it comes to that, either; but I've seen the same in Europe, they hate the paperwork.
One thing we hope to realize one of these days (together with all the rental companies) is make it easier for tourists to at least file a report, so we get a better overview of when, where and how(much). But in true Caribbean fashion, things move sloooowww...

Oh, on leaving windows open or closed: I can not advise to leave them open, because it would void the insurance. But I think most people do it anyway, and I guess that's probably the lesser of two evils.

 

[busted]

There seems to be on going issues with this type of crime in Bonaire. Since this appears to be an on going problem, it amazes me that govenrment officials in Bonaire refuse to address the problem. Of course, vandalising and stealing things from cars is not the same as robbery and murder, but it is crime and it is a problem.

Most law enforcement agencies around the world would not put much effort into dealing with this sort of crime. However, when the crime has the same pattern and is occuring in the same general area, it becomes more serious and calls for obvious action from the Police.

From what I am reading in these threads there is little crime except for this. SO that tells me tha t the Police should have little else to do except to deal with this crime. If the criminals who are breaking into cars start to get arrested, jailed, fined, etc. This sort of thing will slow down, if not stopped. If there are only 12,000 people on this island, it should be relatively simple for the police to round up the individuals who commit these crimes.

Being poor does not excuse criminal behavior. If a Police Officer believes this, he or she needs to find a new profession. It appears that the Police are the problem here. Criminal's will always try to get away with their deads, but Police are paid stop them, not make excuses for them.

 

[redseal]

I was just in Bonaire in October (stayed at Plaza Resort Bonaire). Did mostly boat dives, >50% on Klein Bonaire, the rest at sites more easily accessible from the boat than from shore, and had a great time. Didn't have to worry about leaving my shorts, shirts and sunglasses or extra dive equipment topside, and saw some very healthy reefs.

Many of us thoroughly enjoyed this divers' paradise and didn't have any regrets that we didn't drive all around the island looking for the next great experience.

Go dive!

 

[Scubadude]

Don't beleive the hype.........just go ! It's great. You'll love it !! This thread was way overdone. I went with my lady in late August and dove a bunch of reefs and had not one incident. Have a great time. Good viz, George

 

[tangfish]

This "car rental conspiracy" thing is total crap and, frankly, an insult. Ask yourself this: what does a rental company gain by "stealing" a few bucks from a client, when the effect of that is that the tourist goes away with a bad taste in his mouth? At the very least that tourist will not rent with that company again, and (bad) word of mouth is bound to get around.

OK, lets put this theory to the test, can all of you who got car/truck parts stolen from your rental car, and were later charged for it please list the rental company you used? Maybe we'll see a trend