Crime rate drops, but not public's concerns

By Peter Boylan and Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writers

Crime on O'ahu dropped significantly in 2003 thanks to the largest decrease in property crime in the last four years, according to statistics released yesterday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Despite the numbers, O'ahu residents remain wary about their safety. Residents yesterday said the correlation between Hawai'i's ice epidemic and crime is always on their minds, and people don't feel the drug problem is fading.

"There is a lot of crime on this island because of the ice epidemic," said Malcolm Farley, a Waikiki resident who works downtown. "People steal on it, commit violent crimes on it, you name it."

Richard Dicrescenzo, 62, said the crime in his neighborhood downtown is so bad that he is thinking about moving to the Mainland. "This is a very dangerous place," he said. "There is a lot of drugs and prostitution going on. I just don't feel safe."

Paul Putzulu, the deputy chief in charge of Honolulu police field operations, said the numbers indicate that a plan between police and prosecutors to get repeat offenders off the street is working.

"We've been working with the prosecutor's office to identify the most active (property crime) people in the districts that we're aware of, and if they get arrested, and we can make a good case, they'll get charged," Putzulu said. "That means bail is set and if they can't make bail, they get can't go back out right away and commit crimes in the community.

"I can't say that's the sole reason that property crimes are down, but we believe there's a connection," Putzulu said.

There were 48,306 property crimes reported on O'ahu in 2003. The cases include 7,967 burglaries; 32,086 larceny/thefts and 8,253 auto thefts.

By comparison, the 54,670 cases in 2002 included 8,932 burglaries, 37,250 larceny/thefts and 8,488 auto thefts.

Violent crimes, meanwhile, increased slightly over the same period although there were fewer murders, rapes and robberies reported to Honolulu police. The .02 percent increase is from a rise in aggravated assaults from 1,207 cases in 2002 to 1,336 cases last year.

The numbers yesterday come from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, which includes data from 11,921 law enforcement agencies around the country. The final report for 2003 will be released in October.

Only Honolulu numbers are recorded because the report is for cities with populations of 100,000 or more.

Statewide statistics were not released yesterday, but because O'ahu represents most of the state's population, Hawai'i's property crime rate — one of the highest in the nation — is projected to decrease for the first time in four years.

"Crime in Hawai'i decreased substantially in 2003," said Paul Perrone, chief statistician for the Attorney General's Office. "The net decrease statewide, once we release the report next week, is fairly significant."

The 15 murders last year in Honolulu were three fewer than in 2002. There were 266 rapes and 989 robberies reported in 2003 as compared with 304 rapes and 1,072 robberies in 2002.

The crime rate has been increasing in Hawai'i since it hit a record low in 1999. In 2001, Hawai'i had the second highest rate of property crime in the country. In 2002, the state had the highest rate of theft in the nation.

It's not clear, though, whether the decrease in property crime will drop Hawai'i in the state rankings.

But for crime victims, the decrease in the numbers doesn't make them feel safer.

Calvin Fujimoto, a 37-year-old Waipahu resident who had his car stolen in 1996, said yesterday that despite the positive statistics, he will always worry about criminals in Hawai'i.

"It makes me feel better but because you've had it happen once before, it's always in the back of your mind," he said. "You are always going to think about it, you're not going to get it out of your head."

Despite the decrease in crime on O'ahu, the Honolulu Police Department are still solving serious crimes at the second lowest rate in more then a decade, according to statistics obtained from the department.

Serious crimes cover seven major felonies: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft. Of the 50,912 serious crimes reported on O'ahu in 2003, police cleared 5,075 of them, a rate of almost 10 percent.

The rate is up from last 2002, when police cleared 8.7 percent of serious crimes.

Reach Rod Ohira at 535-8181 or rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com. Reach Peter Boylan at 535-8110 or pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.