O'ahu crime rate up 16 percent in 2002

By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer

O'ahu had the highest major crime rate in the state last year followed by Maui County, Kaua'i and the Big Island, according to a report released by the attorney general's office yesterday.

The rate was based on violent crimes of murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault and property crimes of burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft and arson. The data in the attorney general's report, Crime in Hawai'i 2002, was included in the Crime in the United States report released by the FBI Monday which showed Hawai'i's theft rate as the highest in the country. The state's property crime rate was the third highest.

The attorney general's report said 75,238 crimes were reported statewide in 2002, up from 65,947 in 2001, a 14 percent increase.

The report showed more than $69 million in property was reported stolen last year, up 13.2 percent from 2001. But of the total value stolen in 2002, 19.8 percent was recovered, up from 15.4 percent in 2001.

Twenty-four murders were reported in 2002, down from 32 reported in 2001 and tying the record low set in 1999, the report said.

State Public Defender Jack Tonaki yesterday echoed City Prosecutor Peter Carlisle who earlier this week said one of the major reasons for the crime rate was crystal methamphetamine.

"I don't think it's a secret that a lot of these crimes are fueled by addiction. Crystal meth addiction is tough to break," Tonaki said. "I don't know that there is an easy answer it is a situation fueled by this drug problem. We see it every day."

Maui County Deputy Chief Kekuhaupio Akana agreed. "Everybody knows about property crimes and drug addiction. We're chasing the same people," he said.

The data released yesterday also showed:

• Hawai'i County's violent crime rate dropped 21.6 percent and the property crime rate decreased by 1.6 percent. Hawai'i County's violent and property crime rates were the lowest in the state in 2002.
• Kaua'i County reported a 28.2 percent increase overall crime from 2001 to 2002. Violent crime increased 84.2 percent, highest in the state, from 96 to 179. Property crime increased 25.8 percent from 2,250 to 2,866. Kaua'i's population of 59,946 is the lowest among the four counties.
• On Maui, the crime rate decreased 4 percent in 2002, with the violent crime rate falling 11.9 percent and the property crime rate down 3.7 percent.
• Of the state's 24 murders in 2002, none occurred on Maui. One occurred on Kaua'i, five on the Big Island and 18 on O'ahu.
• The total number of crimes on all islands has increased since the record low in 1999.

Akana yesterday said the Maui Police Department uses the attorney general's data as a tool in dealing with crime. "But our measures include our prevention and education efforts, our apprehension efforts, our responsiveness to our community, a feeling of security to our people and the way in which we conduct ourselves. Those are every bit as valuable as (the attorney general's report,)" he said.

But experts and law enforcement officials agree that, while the numbers are telling, they might also be inflated.

"There are approximately 1.2 million people in Hawai'i. And on any given day there are over 200,000 visitors, and they are preyed upon," said Paul Perrone, chief statistician for the attorney general's office.

"Maybe someone steals a backpack, or a camera. We have to count the crimes that occur to our visitors, but we don't count them in our population base."

David Johnson, a sociologist at the University of Hawai'i, said the crime rates might make better sense if the number of tourists are factored into the population base. "They are potential offenders, and they are potential victims," he said.

Perrone also said Hawai'i's crime rate may also be inflated because people here are more likely to report crimes than on the Mainland. "If your grill is stolen off your lanai at night, the police will come and you have a reasonably good chance of getting it back as opposed to other cities where a call like that might get hung up on or laughed at," Perrone said.

Reach Peter Boylan at 535-8110 or pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.

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