Posted on: Sunday, August 22, 2004
Police know Ala Moana mall as theft hotspot
| • | Crime on O'ahu dips to 3-year low |
By Peter Boylan
Advertiser Staff Writer
Linda Schoettl stands over a pile of hiking packs, quickly eyeing every person who comes within reach.
"We stayed at some hostels and there was stuff that got took while we were there," said the 21-year-old tourist from Munich. "We keep our stuff with us all the time."
Schoettl's vigilance was wise given her location Wednesday.
During the first six months of 2004, the area in and around Ala Moana Center reported more crime than any other location on O'ahu. From Jan. 1 to June 30, 532 crimes were reported in Honolulu Police Beat 180, which is bounded by Ala Moana Boulevard, Pi'ikoi Street, Kapi'olani Boulevard and Atkinson Drive. Of those 532 crimes, there were 398 thefts, 106 car break-ins, 13 robberies and 15 car thefts.
Sixty-five percent of the 398 thefts were attributed to shoplifting, police said.
Dwight Yoshimura, senior general manager at Ala Moana Center, said Honolulu police recently arrested a gang of car thieves that had been breaking into and in some cases stealing rental cars parked at Ala Moana. He said police put out decoy cars and nabbed the gang.
Since then, he said, car break-ins have fallen off.
"These guys are so quick, they can break into a car and then they're gone; it's amazing," Yoshimura said.
He said that the center employs its own security force and uses an elaborate network of closed-circuit television cameras strategically placed throughout the center to help combat thieves.
"We try to do preventive things, but when you're busy you have a lot of customers coming through and you get a lot of calls," Yoshimura said. "It is very important to work closely with law enforcement."
Despite the high rate of property crimes in the area, tourists and residents are not deterred from walking around one of the island's top shopping spots. Honolulu isn't perceived by most visitors as a high-crime area, tourists said, and the area is not as intimidating as larger jurisdictions elsewhere.
"You have to be aware of (crime) any place you go," said Roger Frank, 61, a computer technician visiting from Minnesota. "You have to watch your back."
Employees of Ala Moana stores said they are aware of all the stealing and car break-ins but don't feel threatened.
Sherry Ciskowsky, a 22-year-old Sears employee, said she has rarely felt uncomfortable at the center during the time she has worked there.
"Sometimes by the bus stop, with all the homeless people, I think one might grab my bag, but other than that, I don't feel threatened," she said.
Gloria Gomez, a 47-year-old employee of Al Phillips The Cleaner, said she, too, is aware of crime at the center, but feels confident with the center's security guards. She said that in the event of an emergency, most stores have silent-alarm buttons to summon security.
"It is comfortable over here," she said.
Bobby Alexander, a 46-year-old Air Force man from Mississippi, shrugged off crime as something you would expect in an area with an array of affluent shops and shoppers.
"It's a high-dollar area," he said. "It's no worse than anywhere else."
Foreign tourists seemed the least concerned about crime in the Ala Moana area, as many said they had learned to be cautious while traveling growing up abroad.
"It doesn't bother me, we're only here for a couple of days," said Sean Murphy, a 33-year-old Australian.
Brigitte Walder, 29, said shopping in South America was a lot more treacherous than shopping at Ala Moana. She said the only time she seriously watches out for her stuff is when she is in the water at the beach.
"I'm always looking at my bag," said the social worker from Switzerland. "I haven't heard about it (high crime), and I'm not thinking about it."
Reach Peter Boylan at 535-8110 or pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.
