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PaulW,
You should ask the Police Department for that information. I would be interested in
the reply. I just made a written request of the P.D. for property crime stats for Puna.
I did not ask about stats on residence of perps.
It would be easy to assume though that with 8,800 lots that there are all types fo folks present.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
Well, yes, I'm just saying what Rob said. There are almost 9000 lots. When I looked at it back in 2004 I could see that there was the potential to have pretty sketchy folks in the neighborhood. Adding an influx of people with goodies to steal doesn't mean the marginal people have moved away.
The stats have little meaning as they only reflect the small percentage of people who are caught.
Sexual offenders - were not even on my radar.
I always figured that Kapoho Beach Lots is primarily gated to block drive-in access to Champagne Pond, and having public parking up the area nearby, whatever they might give as the official reason. How they get away with it I dunno. The gated subdivisions on the west side with ocean access had to provide at least limited public parking and a pass system. But that's another conversation.
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I figure that burglars are not too bright, so more likely to be poor, so less likely to live in one of the more expensive subdivisions in Puna. Then again it would cut down on the commute.
Paul,
HPP may be more expensive now, but it used to be dirt cheap. Your logic works (amybe) if you assume they moved there in the last five years, but maybe they've been there for 20 years (or grew up there, watching the place gentrify around them, and feeling like it's fair game to share and share alike.
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If they bought when it was dirt cheap then even a burglar could've figured out by now that they can pocket the profit by moving across the highway. Or so I figure.
hmm, I really don't know what you're getting at, Paul. And why are you focusing on burglars = HPP homeowners? There are plenty of rentals. (Tenant does not equal lowlife, obviously. Plenty of upstanding tenants.) When I looked at HPP five-six years ago the nice houses stood out as rare and conspicuous. That has changed a lot because a lot of nice houses were built in the last five years on what were vacant lots, but that doesn't mean this huge subdivision is all gentrified.
Why would you assume there is some migration across the highway? Do you not see how people settle into property here? People from the mainland may come and flip places but don't assume that's everyone's way of life.
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Because HPP is more expensive generally then I would assume that rents are also higher than the surrounding areas. So anyone wanting to save on rent would at least consider moving to a cheaper subdivision. Some people don't, perhaps because they'd rather live in a more upmarket area, but that's not how burglars would think. I think! If I was a burglar I'd move to a cheaper area, there's not much profit in stealing.
I don't know, people have said in this thread that burglars live in HPP; I'm just wondering, how do you know that?
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Right now there are plenty of houses sitting empty in HPP with for rent signs on them. Excess supply usually means lower prices. Rents have dropped all over Puna, but especially in neighborhoods like HPP which were overbuilt with expensive spec homes. I think statistics will show that a lot of the burglaries are crimes of opportunity done by young males in their teens and early 20s. This population often isn't paying rent, they live with their Mom or other family, so the cost of the neighborhood isn't that big of a factor for them. Plus Puna tends to have really mixed subdivisions, there can easily be a run down unpermitted shack right next to a fancy $500,000 house on almost any street in Puna.
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
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Does it even mater where they live? What matters is stopping them and finding a way to reduce drug use in Hawaii. Give these people some options such as jobs, education, a reason to turn their lives around etc. and maybe things will change.
My image of these punks is that they are drug users or just unemployed thugs trying to get $$$. They could live anywhere, but are probably looking for the easiest, closest places to break into with the most potential loot. Assuming that, they probably live fairly close to HPP and find there are higher end homes there, specifically near the water. Jerry stated that the area where Joey lives has the most incidence of break ins: higher end waterfront homes. The whole issue of absentee home owners and vacation rentals makes the pickings even easier. Vacation rentals would also seem to be a good target, as people on vacation usually have expensive electronics and cash with them.
Without neighborhood patrols and maybe surveillance cameras, these areas will remain easy pickings. However solving the problem is a lot bigger than sending them to other areas.
How about asking the PD to set up their DUI/Seatbelt checks on the roads leading into HPP? Just the presence of cops could be an additional deterrent.
Aloha au i Hawai`i,
devany
www.myhawaiianhome.blogspot.com
www.eastbaypotters.blogspot.com
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Since the latest outbreak of bad news, I have had two serious inquiries from Punawebbers regarding starting Block Watches in specific areas of HPP. This is good news, and yet another testament to the usefulness of this forum.
Devany, your suggestions and insights are spot on. Unfortunately, the Police in Puna are stretched beyond reasonable limits in terms of manpower and other resources. We need to redistribute those resources along the lines of population and calls for assistance, but there are political obstacles to such a redistribution. Rob Tucker and others (including myself) are trying to change this, but it is uphill all the way.
Thanks to everyone who has offered suggestions or chosen to get involved. It will make a difference.
Cheers,
Jerry
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