Jaunted

Tags: Hawaii / Oahu / crime / violence / → All Tags

Tourism CrimeWatch: Oahu's Violent Crime Rate Jumps

[Ed. Note: Alex Salkever is the founder/editor of Hawaii travel blog  Hawaiirama.com]

A fatal shooting on the North Shore across from popular tourist and surfing beach Log Cabins has raised the tally of brutal murders within the past month on Oahu to four. Most of the killings have been brazen acts of violence, including two shootings in full public view and one fatal beating at a popular West Side beach park perpetrated against a tourist from the East Coast by a former All-State football player.

Not to be alarmists or anything but Oahu and the Hawaiian Islands have long enjoyed a reputation as a safe haven from violent crime. Sure, everything in a rental car or a beach bag / backpack was fair game for thieves. But no one died. Apparently, that's no longer the case.

In the latest FBI crime survey, violent crime on Oahu is up by 10 percent. A spate of public beatings have also hit the island in recent years. Like the case of the White House aide who got his nose busted outside a Waikiki night spot -- a crime that, to date, has not been solved (to the best of my knowledge).

The cops say Hawaii is safe but they also say they are severely understaffed. The tourism people say visitors are safe as kittens. Overall, Hawaii is still a pretty safe place. But Oahu, at least, is clearly trending in the wrong direction. Perhaps these crimes can explain Hawaii's slipping hotel occupancy rate?

[Photo: imylthinle]

Related Stories:
· Hawaii Hotel Occupancy Plunges Further [HotelChatter]
· At the Risk of Ticking Off a Lot of People....Beat Someone Up in Hawaii and Get Out of Jail Free [Hawaiirama]