Starting on Wed night we got to star in CSI Bonaire.
Our role began when we just got home and open the door and Larry the director called action and said something doesn't look right.
I said I think we have a crime scene on our hands. So like good csi agents we did not touch the evidence and called in our back up agents the bonaire police.
While waiting we started the investigation these are the facts that we gathered. The perps used a ladder from a construction site to climb over the wall. Then they climbed on a outside window unit to cut the small window screen and open the window to gain entry.
We established the items the perps took and gave the evidence to the police who wrote a report. Told us a new csi agents that sometimes the perps will go down the road and discard item that is of no value to them ie (passports,Credit Cards).
So we took that as our challenge. But was told that our back up detectives could not take pictures or fingerprints till morning.
So we took our limited resources of two dive flashlights and walked the nearby roads looking in bushes and construction sites seeing if we could find any evidence but sadly to say we failed as agents in this area. But on a positive note I lost 5 lbs I am sure from this little adventure.
But once morning came our backup detectives came and did a most wonderful job. They dusted for fingerprints and discovered a unknown substance in a baggy on the floor. Maybe that will lead to something because the perps were smart enough to wear gloves while doing the crime but maybe they were not smart enough to wear gloves while doing thierdrugs. I hope the perps are reading this because maybe this will give you something to fear that as smart as you think you were in crime spree on wed across that side of the island that your drugs might be the thing that does you. I have several thoughts for you .
You might have taken our possesions but you did something for me. You made me realize that possesions are that and it is not worth you ruining the relationship that I have with the island. Yes it is a relationship with the land, the sea, and the wonderful people on the island that have shown my family now 2 years in a row that they do care for thier vistors by thier acts of kindness when my husband had his heart attack on the island and this year by helping us in so many ways when you did what you did. It is not fair to them that you are giving this island a bad reputation for crime and hurting thier livelyhoods.
Also I want to thank you for giving me the confidence to make me realise that I am a stronger person than I thought I was. You showed me that I have excellent leadership skills.
I am going to take a break from this csi drama and report later on how csi adventure became the game of clue.
I also want to take the time to thank the supporting cast members for thier help Michael from chat and browse, Butchy the security card from the belmar, Kevin from the great escape, The Bonaire Police dept, the gentleman from the consulate office who helped with letters to immigration where he drove to the airport and made copies of our cards that we filled out when we came in with our passport numbers, The lady for the tourism office who arrange with the departure tax man to delay us from having to pay our exit tax from our limited cash resources that were left. Lastly the american airlines counter people who called the consulate told them what happen to make sure that when we arrived in pr that we would not be delayed or detained.
One more thing I am purposefully not mentioning the property in my report that we stayed at because they are more of a victim. In thier 20+ years have never been burgeralized and now thier livelihood has been put at risk. As soon as the bonaire reporter puts the details on all the propertys that were hit thier reputation goes down the drain and people will be afraid to stay at thier establishment through no fault of thier own. They had every security measure possible and one little window that was at least 10ft off the ground in a shower that a child could only crawl through was what the perps used. The property owner now is having said windows taken out and a new type but in at a cost of 400.00 to at least 20 units. Please do not let this stop you from staying at this property when you read thier name in the bonaire reporter or hear it from other people.
Disclaimer please forgive the spelling as I am to tired to spell check and spell properly

Hugs to you and Autumn. I'm so sorry you went through this, but I admire both your and Kathy's attitudes and perseverence.

I have never purchased trip insurance before, but intend to research it for our next trip. Although we stay at what I believe is a very safe place, there's just too much increasing crime, and we all need to be prepared to handle whatever we have to deal with. The worse we had was a cut gas line, that probably was done right in front of the Inn. We've only been back 3 weeks, and I've been bummed out ever since reading Kathy's first posting of this....

I am so sorry for your loss. But you have the right attitude that you won't let this incident ruin your relationship with the island and the people.

I will tell you I am scared from all the reports I've read on here about crime. Not only recent message threads but I used the search engine on this forum and typed in the word "crime" and started reading through 32 pages. My husband and I have paid for plane reservations and house rental for Jan/Feb 2008 timeframe. This will be my first visit but his third. The other two times were 20 years ago and I think he stayed once at Carib Inn and once on a dive boat. I am seriously considering canceling our vacation to Bonaire. We both have traveled extensively the Carribean and although some islands are beautiful such as Jamaica I won't return because of crime. I've never been a victim of crime at home here in Atlanta nor on vacation overseas. As I'm now older I'm reluctant to chance an island that from what I've read (past/present posts) is experiencing an escalating crime problem.

You are correct in not naming the property. I noted through my search on this forum using the word "crime" that criminals have targeted not only rental houses, condo's, apartments, but also hotels, resorts on the island. Doesn't matter where you stay. In fact I thought about canceling my house rental for the month on Bonaire and staying at a hotel with security. But that's not an answer---crime knows no boundaries.

I'm really not sure what to do today...I'll think about it keep reading until the end of the year and make some kind of informed decision. Appreciate all input. Again, so sorry this happened to you.

Mona, We have experienced petty incidents several times on Bonaire, which are more annoying than damaging, but since I personally know both Kathy and Christine, this incident just saddens me more deeply. I have gone to Bonaire 8 years in a row, and will go again next year. I read about the portable motion detectors in one post, trip insurance in another..... and just believe in being prepared. There is no other place as unique as this island for me. It's just magical and creates such a peace in my soul when I'm there. I will go back, but I will go back aware of what can happen, and protect myself as best as I can.

My thoughts and hugs to you. I admire your attitude and your willingness to follow through on those things you had control over. I'm just really sorry it happened to you guys. Take care and again, my thoughts are with you.

Mona,
Please do not let this stop you from going to bonaire. Because then the criminals win and the people of Bonaire lose not only from income but then become victims doubly(sp)because then those said criminals will start robbing from them more often in thier homes and probably from thier places of business.
I have been trying to think of solutions to protect all of us when we go.
1. I know we all are all excited about going and we post where we are staying and for how long. To me that gives the criminals a open invitation on our activitys because they can watch us without us knowing it and see if we establish a routine. After what happen we realized that we went to dinner around the same time everynight and usually stop by the webcam downtown so they knew about what times we were not around.
2. Also I now have a attitude do not bring things while traveling that you value. Because it can either get lost during airline travel or it can get stolen while on vacation.
3. After talking to several island people that it is so fustrating for the police because they catch the criminals go to jail for such a short time and return to the island to start stealing again. Now this suggestion might spark debates but I think the only way that is going to change is if all of us who have been victims or who love bonaire do something to help spark change.
How I think we should do it is in two ways. 1. Write emails to the tourism office tell them our experience of what happen to us or write and tell them how it has made you think about not going on trips because of hearing about the crime.
2. This is the one that might make people mad and spark controversy. While talking to several residents and dutch travelers they said they loved americans but felt sorry for us because our current government seems to want to stick noses in other countries business and try to change governments policy. So I say if that is true lets use that to our advantge. We should start a email campaign to our state dept and government officals in Washington and tell them how Americans are becoming victims while vacationing on Bonaire and the cause is due to criminals being caught but getting such a light sentence there is no real incentive for them to quit.
To appeal to Holland to change the laws for stricter punishment that if that don't they will lose economicaly from not only from our government directly but also the lost of tourism dollars. By posting on the state dept web site do not travel to any dutch ruled government because they do not punish criminals to the full extent for burgarly which puts you at risk to be a victim of crime. I bet that would give them some real incentive to change thier laws because when you hit them in the pocket than they are willing to do something. I don't know about you but I am sure the stats once proven how much each tourist spends and how that will hurt it will make them reconsider.

wow, this is so sad. Why does Bonaire put up with this? If they are criminals, then deport them. In coz, you won't find any of this, they won't put up with it...

This isn't an american thing, it's a tourist problem. I don't think the criminals care who they rob?

All guests of the island need to say we're not coming back unless you do something...

I think this would take time but if everyone makes a statement, maybe bonaire and the local police and judges will make a stronger commitment. Is there a website where all tourist's can make these commits? We'll be there in two weeks and I'm not looking forward to worrying every day....sad....scott

Unfortunately, crime may stop me from coming to Bonaire. Regarding advice to bring portable motion detectors to place around my rental house. The reason to go on vacation is to relax and get away from everyday life stresses i.e. crime, commuting in traffic, etc. One must have psychological relaxation (sense of peace of mind) also in addition to physical relaxation.

If I don't go to Bonaire the criminals don't win because less tourist means less "goodies" for them to fence on the black market. Hey, I'm a potential customer so to speak. If the criminals get greedy and frightened all the tourist away they have basically put themselves out of business. That would leave them the locals and I'm sure they have experienced crime also. I wonder how many businesses have been robbed?

I understand the police frustration but like anywhere in the world its a "catch and release" system for the criminals. Same in America. Need tougher laws, enforcement of existing laws, decrease of appeals (got people sitting on death row for 30 years). Islands have special problems because of their geographic size--no place really for the criminals to expand their business unless they have tourist coming and going or high rise condo with lots of people to rob get built. Thus, more and more tourist get robbed and/or assaulted. Maybe Bonaire should think about a gun rental plan to tourists at the airport.

I think the tourism office reads this forum and knows there is a problem. If not, can someone send the tourism office an e-mail directing them here.

The State Department in America if it issued an alert to not travel to Bonaire I definitely would not go. There is a saying for every person that reports a crime there are several other people who do not. So actually the crime rate could be much higher.

I agree the only way Holland or any country will change or enforce existing laws is if it hits them in the "pocket book". Money speaks the loudest and if tourism decrease substantially to impact the Bonaire economy then something would be done pronto. Unfortunately, that is how companies and countries work---its all about money and/or power.

Where can the criminals be deported--to Holland? To many problems getting them there and back once they did there time etc. Bonaire could buy a large ship and park it off the island as a prison and deport them all to the ship. I would like to be the captain!

Thanks for everyone's comments, opinions, ideas. I'm still thinking and if I had to leave tomorrow to go to Bonaire I would probably cancel. Just my opinion today. Just don't need the worry and stress. Sorry, your island is beautiful but so is Jamaica and I'm not going there either.

Christine - You have broached a very important scenario. So many of us state ahead of time where we are staying, often even the room number, in the 'who's on island in XXX' list. We post what type of camera set up we're bringing, whether or not we'll have the lap top, mention our universal phones, etc. We're trusting that it's just "us" reading this. I stopped putting my name on the 'who's on island in July' list a couple of years ago when our Inn keeper brought this to my attention. Sadly, what is a wonderful contact tool for us, can also be a shopping list for crooks....... We never know who else is reading what we post. No solutions..... Just food for thought......

Don't stay anyplace that doesn't have a safe on property! Use the safe if they have one! Leave your jewlery at home! We have a Mini Alarm(motion detector)and we use it. Use common sense, lock your doors, leave nothing of value in plain sight.

The amount of visitors that come to Bonaire each year only a very small amount become victoms. It is a shame to read about anybody becoming a victom, but for shure we will not let this stop us from returning to the Island! I have been, in the past, a victom! We do everything in our power to stay off of that list! The real salution is in your own hands!

Kathy stated that they removed the safe from the wall, thus they lost their passports, money, important papers, etc.

Still no solutions, just food for thought.

Mona,

I agree with much that you say. However, I will put to you that as imperfect as Bonaire may be in regards to crime prevention, it's still no Jamaica in regards to crime. Many of us have been to Bonaire multiple times (I'll be going there for my 9th time since 2000 soon) and never experienced any crime, anywhere, on any part of the island.

We stay at a resort rather than a private residence. And please understand: these are not "Jamaica-style" resorts; they are small and pleasant and can be quirky.

I do think that it may be more likely that theives target private residences if only for the fact that there's less chance to be observed.

Most of the resorts at this time (perhaps not back when break-ins occurred at resorts that you read about here, please note the dates) have people patrolling the grounds, watching for suspicious activity. Most if not all have safes available in the rooms.

It is quite possible to have a relaxing, stress-free vacation on Bonaire. Why do you think most people keep going back?

Hello, what susan says is true. I mean think about the crime in the virgin islands, it's awful...puerto rico all has bars on the windows and doors. It's not just bonaire, but you would think on a small island, they could do more about this. Stricter rules, etc. However this won't effect me from coming back. I think however we would be smarter not to say where we are staying, until you come home and post your trip report. So sorry that this happened but lets hope they catch those guys so that it does not happen again. scott

Christine, I'm still too upset to do a trip report. Larry is still super stressed and says he'll never go back. I love Bonaire. It's just all been very traumatic and I'm not over it. Like PegiSue said about her and George not even talking on the way back...Larry and I aren't talking very well, either. He had a bad feeling about this trip (so my husband is psychic???) and I pushed for Bonaire this time.

Gail, yes - the removed the safe from the wall.
And yes they had security.

There is construction going on all on that end of the island. Construction workers everywhere you turned. With tools to remove safes and ladders to climb over walls and up windows. I definitely think we were cased. We couldn't get internet reception in the room, so there we were sitting outside at our little table with our laptops. Easy to see.

I'm going to try to recall all the good for my report, but I'm finding it hard without pictures.

Kathy,
My heart goes out to you all. I think I understand a bit of what you all are going through - years ago I was mugged in broad daylight right in front of a famous church in Rome (something I always felt was pretty ironic: such good Catholics!)

There's a sense of violation, as well as of loss. Add to that the stress of trying to deal with the beaurocracy: filing reports - I ended up not filing one because the nearest police station refused to take my report since I didn't understand italian and at that point I didn't want to venture anywhere in Rome ever again - finding a way to get home, cancelling credit cards... it was not pleasant.

I've heard that the construction in that area is bringing in foreign workers, yet in another thread someone claimed the youth of Bonaire have a high unemployment rate. It makes me wonder...

Just so you know we were not in a private home. We had the small things that could fit in the safe the small electronic items, cash wallets etc.The safe was drilled in a concrete wall which they jackhammered out of wall or sledge hammered and even put a pillow on the floor of the closed that the safe was in so would not make noise when it dropped or trying to cushion the safes fall so that nothing would get broken that was inside.
The laptop I had hidden in the closet.
The thieves ransacked the place to the tune of throwing clothes that were in shelves in closet all over the floor throwing mattress off box springs. They even tore apart the lining of suitcases to make sure nothing was hidden inside of them dumped suitcases that had dirty clothes.
The funny thing is the dive equipment that we had stacked inside they did not touch the only reason why they got my dive computer and reg and autumns dive computer is I had already packed them in the backpack for getting ready for the trip home and they took that backpack to load things.
Just for your information the thieves that night targeted not only private homes private rental houses but also the thieves have hit a well known resort that have security cameras and a guard.
I am not saying this to scare anyone but I am trying to make a point you can do supposedly all the right things and still get hit.
The only thing that is going to change crime happening is if they make tougher laws against the criminals to make it not so attractive to steal.
The place that we stayed at does have security. The thieves probably watched how the patroled guard made rounds.
I am sorry if this sounds angry but I have tried to have a good attitude about this but when someone tries to imply that we somehow brought this on our selves when the only thing we did wrong was be in the wrong unit at the wrong time that the thieves chose to hit.
On a more brighter note I know this sounds silly but I had just gotten a new key chain that was a very nice key chain with the company logo from work and had our home house key on it and was so bummed out that it was gone because I thought it was in the back pack they took imagine my surprise this morning when I unpacked my makeup case that keychain was in it priceless.
Also I am counting my blessings that my work rewards us with spirit points that you can get items from a catalog. Well I logged on yesterday to see if I had enough to replace the nitendo ds and imagine my surprise when while I was gone my company had awarded me over 2000+ spirit points. Which gave me more than enough points to repalce the ipod that was stolen.
Plus I am thankful that we were not home when they broke in that GOD spared us from that trauma.
I also met some wonderful people on this trip that enriched my life by just meeting them and talking with them.
I had time alone on a dive site while waiting for others to get done and spent that time talking with God pouring my heart out to Him about things that have happen in this past year and some decisions that I have to make coming up. I got so much peace from that time with GOD that is priceless. They cannot take that away from me and if the price that I had to pay was to get a few material items stolen so be it. God has taken care of me and will continue to take care of me.
When things like this happen you have a choice to let it make you bitter or try to learn a lesson.
The lessons I learned from the experience are numerous and taught me a few things about myself which is priceless. I learned somethings that I had to pray to God and ask his forgiveness for because of my attitude or reaction. I have chosen the attitude they are just material things that were stolen. If I get them back so be it. If I don't get them back and homeowners insurance doesnt cover the items so be it. I should be thankful that God has blessed me with jobs that both my husband and I have that afford me to go to the island in the first place. when there are people in this world who work ten times harder than I do with physical labor and can barely meet basic living expenses. So who am I to complain about a few material things that got stolen.
Ok I am through preaching now.

Christine,
I never meant to imply that you did anything wrong. Please accept my apologies if that seemed to be the case.

I hope the Bonaire Tourism people and the Bonaire government comes to their senses soon about taking these incidences seriously, and doing something about them. All those new construction resorts and condos will languish, empty eyesores, if they don't.

And I understand completely how you felt about that keychain. When I was mugged, the thing that really made me cry: a really nice set of tweezers, they looked like scissors but had tweezer ends, that I'd just gotten before the trip.

Sometimes it's the little things.

They mugged me from a speeding car (arm out, grabbing my purse - which I had a good grip on so I was flipped onto my back and dragged a bit before I let go). I felt some consolation that my 125 lbs of dead weight probably caused serious elbow or wrist injury.

We are so sorry to hear of your upset, disappointment,and loss.
We can not claim to have the answers to Bonaire's crime problem - every one is just very sad that it is not lessening.
We had our room robbed 8 years ago, while we were sleeping. My husband actually woke up and had words with the man, who then took off running and was gone into the night.
We had a lot stolen (no dive gear taken) - about $2,000 worth and were very upset at the time.
When we returned home we filed our losses,using our Bonaire police report, on our homeowners insurance policy and they reimbursed us.
We have since returned to Bonaire and have an upcoming trip.
We all can only hope that crime can be taken a little more seriously in Bonaire, when it comes to breaking and entering homes & resorts.

Kathy, you guys obviously did all anyone can do to have a safe vacation. It's not so much the economic loss that something like this leaves behind, it's the emotional chaos, loss of inner peace and sense of security that's the hardest to deal with. After joining me in Aruba for vacation for the last 15 years, my nephew and his wife are joining me in a vacation in Bonaire this year. With all it's problems, we have never had a problem with theft in Aruba. Yes, I know we've been lucky, but I don't have the same sense of security when going to Bonaire. It's a shame that a few can do so much damage to so many. Preach away. You have a lot to say, and much to share. You're in my prayers, all of you.

Lyn & Den,
One thing that I can assure you of is that the crime is being taken very seriously by the police. The detectives that spoke with me that day did everything that they could and then some. I can't go in specific details yet because I don't want to hinder their efforts but information that I provided that I thought would help them solve the crime they acted on immediatly and at the end of the day were still working the case and I could tell they so wanted to be able to solve the crime and were so genuinly dissapointed that we were leaving the next day.
I will be very surprised if I dont hear from them that they did not solve this case. They even took my home phone number and my husbands cell phone number and my email address.
I have faith in them. On the other hand I don't have faith in the dutch government that the criminals when found will get the punishment fitting the crime. I think that the punishment should not only be for thier breaking and entering but if they did it while people were sleeping should carry a stiffer sentence and if the people were awake. Then if they did crime and pulled knives or guns or any type of weapon against occupants that the sentence should be even stiffer.
Plus they even gave me exciting car rides in the back of police vehicles. I also want to make people aware that they did not have traditional looking police cars they looked like regular vehicles. So don't think there is not a police prescence by the lack of what looks like traditional police cars.
The thing that I am sad about is that I did not get there names so that I could tell their supervisor how much I appreciated the effort and the hard work that they put in trying to solve the case before we left the island.
To tell you how much confidence I have in them. Is while waiting in the airport I saw someone that looked like one of the detectives and I thought for sure he was coming to tell me they solved the crime and was bringing our stuff back to us. But it is was not to be but the point I am trying to make that police dept sometimes gets a bad rap as appearing on bonaire talk from people
reporting that they did not appear to take their case serious enough.
Just my opinion

Just got back from church - I lifted up Christine, Autumn, Kathy, Larry, Cynde, and PegiSue in prayer. Everyone else doin' OK?

Please keep that positive attitude Banker Chick! You are an inspiration to me, so that if I'm ever face the same circumstances, I'll handle it as well as you and Kathy.

Kathy, don't give up on Larry. My friends awoke 3 yrs ago to a burgular in their room, and he too said he'd never go back. But they were part of our group this year. Time heals.....

I must say, Kathy & Christine's attitude toward this WILL keep some of us going back. And the fact that there are so many good people on the island. It is a beautiful, peaceful place. I was never worried. I realize now, after reading trip reports and getting emails from people, I should have never posted where and when we would be on the island. And that we should have been MORE careful. Luckily we did not have any kind of schedule. No one knew when we would be at the house, sometimes we would only be gone a few minutes. When we left the house we would go down the road a ways, then turn around and drive by real slow, checking. EVERY TIME! You have to be careful, as with anywhere...

I don't have a police report, so I will be careful how I word this....
While on Bonaire we talked to a business owner who had been robbed the nite before. His business had been trashed. He lost a lot of property. But, he had a positive attitude. He was sure of who it was, and told us there's just a few "bad" on the island. Mostly kids that don't have jobs. He did not view this as a threat to his or his family's safty. But the fact that someone was messing w/ his livlihood did not make him a happy man. I do not feel for the person that did this to him and I hope he has taken some action.
In the 11 days that we were there, we saw a policia car twice! We did not dive the entire time, we were driving around the island, walking thru town, etc. No policia. That is just an invitation to crooks. People are out diving, no one's gonna be driving by, house full of expensive equipment, let's go get it! More patrolling by the police would be good. Maybe they are, in unmarked cars. I don't know. But do you really think so? I think if they were, it would stop some of this. If the idiots knew that they could be seen, be caught by the police-Not by one of us, who obviously are not allowed to even defend ourselves w/out going to jail longer than the criminal.

ScubaBanker (aka bankerchick) - we love you and your positive attitude, and we're sorry for the loss and trouble you experienced at the hands of your druggy perp(s). Perhaps we'll see you on-island one day.

Bill and Donna

Christine, I'm so sorry this has happened to you, but I'm with Bill and Donna, you have the right attitude which can be difficult in a situation like this. Glad you haven't given up on Bonaire

I am so sorry this had to happen to you guys. Many hugs

I thank everyone for their kind words of support. Yesterday Paul got me out of the house and we went to go see the movie without reservation it was a very good movie. I was up till 3:30 cleaning because I could not sleep but I am sure that this will pass.
I have this week off from work also. Just trying to get the things done that you can't get done.
It's funny before leaving going to Bonaire I thought FL was roasting after spending a week their with no airco except at night in bedroom it no longer seems hot.
ALso yesterday after calling dell they asked if I had lojack on my computer. I said they have that for computers and apparently they do and said their is a 99% recovery rate. So I suggest if you have a laptop check into getting lojack for it. I asked can they still track it even in a foreign country, a desert island and he said yes mam. We can even track it if they take it to outerspace.

I am so very sorry this happened to you. I hope they catch the people who did this. I truly hope the government will step-up and take care of this situation - it is very sad.
Many hugs to you.

Christine, I hope restful sleep returns to you soon. Thanks for your humorous spin on a tragic event.

ScubaBanker, I'm very sorry for what you went through, and I hope the perps get caught. As a Dutchman, I find your idea of "boycotting" my country a bit silly though. Just think of all the countries in the world you should be boycotting, as in most (all?) other countries crimes are committed against Americans, as they are against all nationalities. I think if I would have even hinted at boycotting the U.S.A. (let's say for all the Dutch tourist that get robbed while holidaying in the States) in a thread, I would have been attacked and accused of America-bashing.
As for tougher laws, I know The Netherlands have a reputation for "soft" sentences, but in reality in recent years those laws have become a lot tougher and are now among the toughest in Europe.
Solutions? I don't have any. There will always be crime, and there are worse places to be than on Bonaire.

Alex,

i have lived in a 625 square mile county for 54 years...population 154,000. I have never been robbed. Your island is 112 square mile with a population of 18,000. In 3 trips, robbed once, another attempt. When comparing such one should consider these things. I would not dare say to anyone to boycott the island, but progress in these matters must be made. Sure, stiffer sentences are always better, but the prevention is the key. That's the steps that are needed..not just to punish those responsible but to take measures to seriously deter it before it happens. Educating the public, both local and tourists is one way to start. Persons that have been arrested should be publicy known. You'd be surprised how much a watch list can do. The perps know if everyone knows who they are, they are less likely to try anything.

Christine,

So sorry you had to go through this type of ordeal. I can relate to all the stress and anger that something like this can stir within you. Thankfully, no physical harm came to you and your party. Time will heal it.

Neil

SB..So sorry for your bad experiences. I am amazed that these robbers now have the tenacity to actually jack hammer or rip a safe from the wall to get at it's contents!
I sincerely hope the perps are caught and they get their just rewards.. Like a stiff prison sentence to remove these deviants who have now formally served notice on society that they are not fit to live amongst decent people.

R. Scott..locals / residents are being robbed/victimized too..it has been very bad the past two weeks.

Thank you for your kind words but I have to tell you something that today after reading a email someone sent me. Wish I went with them instead of Kathy because lmbo. I figured out it just must be me but I seem to cause the people who go on vacation with me to have such excitement and could of spared Kathy and Larry csi BOnaire. Well according to this person email because I chose to go to bonaire I was missing out on so many oppurtunitys like going to the Ritz for tea, a possible meeting with Tony Blair. Gee could you of imagined with my luck of excitement on bonaire what I could of done to London instead.
I don't think the ritz would be the same and could you imagine because I have the tendency to talk first and say what's on my mind what a meeting with TOny Blair would be like. Gee I wonder what excitement she is going to miss because I did not go. Like being stuck in the milenimum wheel for 12 hrs or getting mugged on the tube who knows.
Wow I just thought of a new reality show I get to travel which I do love to do. You pick the place I tag along and if something unusual doesn't happen to you then I pay for the trip all expenses paid. But if I go and cause a vacation that you have never experience before then you pay for everything. Yep I sense a new tv show developing as we speak who wants to sign up for the first trip?

Alex. Alex, Alex!!
I perfectly understand your reaction to suggestions about threatening boycotts of Bonaire as a means to draw attention to these crime issues in your "country". I must, however, take issue with your phraseology in calling these thoughts "a little silly". These folks and Kathy H are in the throes of recovering from their traumatic experiences on the island. Let them be, let them vent. They are the victims, not you. Please understand that victimization can be such an invasion. Silly it is not. I will be on Bonaire in October and relating to these crime issues will assist me in my level of awareness. We all to often are swept up in the aura of our vacation environment and reading of these issues brings me down to earth. My heart goes out to Kathy and Scubabanker.

Alex:

Feeling safe is an important need that most (all?) people have. That ones perception of safety is different than what an objective analysis would show should surprise no one. (Some interesting studies on that topic BTW).

And, again, I think a victimization survey would bring really amazing results. Talk to locals and business owners and they all seem to feel burglary is an issue for them.

My sympathies to Neil, Kathy and ScubaBanker.

Anyone who has been the victim of a crime (complete disclosure: I was the victim of a res burglary in a hotel room in LA. Thank god I slept through it.) knows what it is like to have the feeling of safety we take for granted pulled away.

That said:
a) IMHO, in Bonaire feeling vulnerable to theft is much more than just a perception issue. There is a real problem on the island. (I personally know one local who moved back to Holland because of it. I personally know locals who have been victimized (in two cases, more than once). I personally know tourists who have been victimized as well. )

While there will always be crime, it can be controlled. Like you, I have no idea what the answer is on Bonaire. Community oriented policing? More/stronger post release supervision? Longer sentences? More police? Prevention and intervention programs?

b) Locals appear to be fed up by crime and are attempting to put pressure on the Govt. With Curacao, that appeared to have limited impact. Perhaps it will be more so with the full Netherlands.

c) I think anyone can call for a boycott of anything. Those sometimes can have an impact. (Tourism to Florida by german nationals dropped significantly after several awful -- and well publicized crimes -- violent crimes. Fla did make serious efforts to improve tourist safety as a result. And it seemed to work.)

I still think of Bonaire as a safe place for me (probably less so for my stuff). Still, it is not the sleepy little island it was when I first visited. Remember when everyone waved at you when you drove through Rincon? And Playa and Rincon seemed way further apart than a 20 minute drive? Or when many folks turned out to watch the 747 land once a week? Or when the Sunset Beach Hotel was a going concern...

mtnest, of course I want to give victims the chance to vent. I also perfectly understand their frustrations and the feeling of invasion, having been the victim of crimes of various proportions in different countries. However, I never even thought about appealing to others to boycott another country for it, and it has never deterred me from going back there. Scubabanker did not suggest to boycott Bonaire, which I would be perfectly able to understand, but to boycott Holland to put pressure on my country's government - silly.

Let me explain this: apart from the fact that it's a silly idea to boycott a whole modern country because of some burglaries in some little town, it's also not based on solid facts. Even if the Dutch government would wish to react to such a boycott (and which self-respecting modern country would?), it couldn't do so, simply because The Netherlands have no say in anything (yet), except maybe in what to spend aid money on. Yes, Bonaire is part of the Dutch Kingdom, but the Dutch Antilles have their own laws and sovereignty. Those are my reasons for calling it a silly idea. And I repeat, if I would have called for a boycott of the US for similar reasons, you guys would have butchered me on this board, and rightly so.

Alex
There goes that "silly' word again. Perhaps the semantics are lost in the vernacular. I was in Amsterdam and Volendam three years ago. One of our party had their hotel room burglarized and items of value taken. Another had a camera stolen from his backpack while he was wearing it. We were angered and shocked at the time. At no time did anyone propose to boycott Holland, though choice words were spoken. The violation of personal space left a permanent scar on the recollection of our visit. No, it is not alright to be a victim as any of us may be. We should be angered, offer criticism and seek solutions. Thus we share with our community of friends. To do so is healthy and could perhaps strike a nerve in some but should, in my opinion,help in the healing process.

mtnest, I'm NOT denying the severe effects of being a victim - I know far to well what it is to be one. What I AM doing is contributing to this discussion, which you say you value so much. I'm just giving my reaction here to the proposed "solution", with proper arguments. And as a Dutch citizen I have every right to feel offended at anyone unjustly attacking my country for an issue for which it is not responsible. I find it strange that you find my use of the silly word "silly" more offensive than that.

Alex and mtnest, good dialogue. I so hear what both of you are saying. We, as Americans, live with crime everyday, especially if you are from Philadelphia as I am. LOL I think what happens for a lot of Americans is this. When you travel to somewhere like Bonaire, or any other "exotic" place, you don't expect to be a victim of hideous crimes like what happened above to Kathy and others. Of course, the other part of the equation is holiday or vacation. This is "supposed" to be a time of great peace and tranquility for the soul. When that is shattered, I believe it to be more traumatic due to the "supposed" factor. One year, while on vacation, we were robbed at home. Checks, credit cards, TV's, videos, jewelry, etc, etc, were all lost. The worst part of the heist was the checks. We went through a year and a half of virtual hell because of these missing checks and our credit damaged until it could get repaired by bank statements along with police reports. It was a horrible time, especially my answering machine everyday with irate store owners demanding payment. (Yeah, the perp got a phony license with my name and his picture)

When you are violated in any crime situation, it really does take time to heal the wound. When you are violated in a setting, such as Bonaire, I really believe it is magnified. A lot of my personal dive stuff was stolen from the back of the Dive Inn, in a lockup, a few years back. We simply forgot to bring it in that evening. The gate was locked, etc. In the morning, right before we were going diving, the discovery was made. They got my favorite mask, fins, regulator, and Kathi's mask. She did bring the rest of her stuff in while I was in the shower the night before. That is just the way we always did it. I forgot to get mine. $hit happens, but unfortunately it seems to be happening more frequently now.

Again, and for the last time Alex, I think that the term "silly" is inappropriate and perhaps our (you and me) vernacular in terms of this word is substantially different. No one is attacking your country, albeit you feel that they do. I personally enjoyed my visit to the Netherlands. I will stop beating this dead horse here and suggest that we (you and me) lighten up and let these folks vent. Hope this works for you!!!

Again, and for the last time Alex, I think that the term "silly" is inappropriate and perhaps our (you and me) vernacular in terms of this word is substantially different. No one is attacking your country, albeit you feel that they do. I personally enjoyed my visit to the Netherlands. I will stop beating this dead horse here and suggest that we (you and me) lighten up and let these folks vent. Hope this works for you!!!