Residents respond to crime
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
When burglaries in 'Aina Haina and Wai'alae Iki more than doubled in January over the same period the year before, reaction in the two communities was swift — but markedly different.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
In 'Aina Haina, residents packed an 'Aina Haina Community Association meeting at which they expressed much concern about crime and decided they needed to resuscitate a neighborhood watch program that was flagging.
Wai'alae Iki residents Janice Wright, left, and Ginger Plasch help security guard Ricky Mills post crime-alert signs.
But along Wai'alae Iki Ridge, a community with a strong, active anti-crime program, residents mobilized their watch and notification systems to quickly alert their neighbors to the heightened crime risk.
The efforts in Wai'alae Iki Ridge are a model for other communities, police say, discouraging crime and making policing easier.
Members of the Wai'alae Iki Community Association pay a monthly premium to have security guards patrol the area, their neighborhood watch program uses e-mail to spread warnings to the 624 homes in the neighborhood, and whenever a crime occurs, a sign at the entrance to the community alerts residents to be on guard, said Ginger Plasch, a member of the association.
"We don't want to live in la-la land," said Janice Wright, community association president. "We can protect ourselves."
Suburbs are especially vulnerable to burglaries and thefts because most people aren't home during the day and criminals know that, police say.
Along Wai'alae Iki Ridge, where homes sell on average for about $750,000, the community decided long ago that they needed a program to protect themselves and ensure residents' safety.
The anti-crime effort in the community — part of the overall Wai'alae Iki area — began about a decade ago. One of its newest additions is a sign at the entrance to the community that alerts residents when a car or home has been broken into. The sign has been in use for about a year.
"Sometimes we can get the sign up within an hour of someone being broken into," Plasch said. "It makes a big difference. It's a visual reminder to be aware. Be cautious."
Members of the community association pore over police statistics to spot trends and help them get the most out of prevention measures such as reminding residents in affected areas to lock doors and keep an eye out for one other.
Crime in Wai'alae Iki isn't any different than in any other community, said Gerry Ching, an association member. What's different is the community's response to it.
In the next valley, 'Aina Haina residents have been looking at the Wai'alae Iki Ridge program and plan to adopt it in varying degrees.
'Aina Haina started a neighborhood watch program more than a decade ago, but it has lapsed.
"It had been very active, but needs to be resuscitated," said 'Aina Haina Community Association member Art Mori. "A lot of our members are aging."
As a result of a recent association meeting, the community is reviving its watch program and recruiting new and younger members, Mori said.
"We were really surprised by the turnout," he said. "There was a lot of spirited discussion. It's an issue for our community."
The recent surge in crime — 40 burglaries in January, up from 19 a year ago — was a reflection of the poor economy, police said, noting that January is typically a big month for burglaries because of the holiday season.
Many of the burglaries were committed by repeat offenders who don't end up serving any jail time, said Lt. Kurt Nakamura of the Criminal Investigations Division.
"Criminals accused of property crimes are not usually sent to prison," he said. "We have a lot of repeat offenders. ... It's a real frustrating thing for us."
Neighborhood security watch programs do help curb crime, said Detective Clinton Sukekane, who is part of a six-member burglary theft detail for the East Honolulu district. There aren't enough police officers to be everywhere, Sukekane said.
"We need people to give us a hand," he said. "Residents have a better idea of what is going on in their neighborhood than we do. They know who belongs and who doesn't and when something doesn't seem right."
The solution, police say, is to get involved.
"That's the only way we're going to make a difference."
Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com or 395-8831.
• • •
 |
