breakin vir grande villa

[MLS]

Tradewinds does continue to list crime statistics. 2008 numbers are actually quite a bit better (down) from 2007, even burglaries if I remember correctly. I'm not sure how accurate these numbers are as a number of recent boat burglaries in Chocolate Hole apparently went unreported until the Tortola police came up with a suspect. Burglaries/robberies may be dramatically under-reported.

Unfortunately the number of crimes solved continues to be almost zero.

[Chickadee]

I am becoming increasingly disturbed by the "we did everything right and this crime still happened" nature of the reports lately. Locked doors and windows, exterior lights on, interior lights and cars parked in the drive giving the occupied look... What is a person supposed to do to better ensure safety?!

Someone tell me about the portable motion-sensitive alarms one can get. Don't know much about them, but know that frequent hotel visitors tend to use them. It's my understanding that, once you're in the house, you hang them on the doorknob and activate. If the door is opened the motion triggers an alarm. So, this won't work if your house (like so many do on STJ) has more than 1 level connected by outside stairs (such that you're not actually IN one of the levels, so can't set the alarm)?

What are the villa owners/companies going to start doing to help us tip the scales against these brazen criminals? Install alarm systems? Offer these portable motion sensor alarms to guests (for an additional fee no doubt)? Higher security firms to patrol their properties during the overnight hours? GASP, put some pressure on police to protect the main income source of the island (either by preventing or prosecuting)?

Dammit, I love this place and hate to be thinking about these kinds of things.

[patr]

If I ever experience anything remotely similiar to this, I would find it very difficult to return.

Miles Away is the only villa we've stayed at that has an alarm system. It has a setting while you are "at home".

Perhaps more villa owners will consider adding alarms.

[Lulu76]

I just don't know how you would put an alarm system into a villa with all the pods. It would be easy for the ones that don't have separate pods, but nearly impossible for the others.

I think the police need to step up to the plate. We have some serious crime issues here in Nashville, and they are working on them because sooooo much of our city's income comes from tourism. It is up to the villa owners and the owners of the villa management to tell the police and the elected officials that they need to deal with the crime. It's not bad compared to other cities (just like Nashville isn't bad compared to Detroit), but when tourism is your bread and butter, you have to do what you can to protect it. And what we are saying as tourists are that if we were involved in a situation like this, we would likely take our tourism dollars elsewhere.

[Rachelle & Joe]

So Sad ! Glad they were not harmed ! Having stayed at Miles Away also as Pat this past may besides the villa being beautiful & just perfect for us the other feature of the alrm was also a possitive factor for us it realy did give us peace of mind ! Although not long ago we read that a couple were actually enjoying the outdoor deck when they were robbed ! which realy peeved us off I mean it could happen while out in the pool even !

[designbyroe]

I just don't know how you would put an alarm system into a villa with all the pods. It would be easy for the ones that don't have separate pods, but nearly impossible for the others.

I think the police need to step up to the plate. We have some serious crime issues here in Nashville, and they are working on them because sooooo much of our city's income comes from tourism. It is up to the villa owners and the owners of the villa management to tell the police and the elected officials that they need to deal with the crime. It's not bad compared to other cities (just like Nashville isn't bad compared to Detroit), but when tourism is your bread and butter, you have to do what you can to protect it. And what we are saying as tourists are that if we were involved in a situation like this, we would likely take our tourism dollars elsewhere.

This is all true Lulu.....we do need the police and elected officials to step up to bat.
The one thing I have heard over and over (even after leaving island) is the police know who the perps are and they just look away. There is police corruption everywhere, there is crime everywhere but NOT every place counts on tourists the way the VI's do

Villa owners and property managers can only do so much.
It really is up to the elected officials and our newly appointed governor to make changes..jmo
From what I have been told, it is slowly happening.

It seems we have more unsolved crimes then solved. Heck Jamie's accusers from his murder in June 2007 are JUST going to trial and the judge is trying to get them tried seperately........

[dehman]

Well said "Lulu" it doesn't matter what we face at home. As I said before, tourism is the only business and islands that "forget" that have been slapped into reality. There are countless examples as you know. Everything about these reports is bothersome from response time to the fact that even on the seemingly rare occasion that they know who did it, they don't get arrested right away or the penalty is a joke. I have my own theories as to why this is the case but the bottom line is pressure needs to be put on the officials. These people can be caught most of the time- it's not a big island and you can't just get out on a highway and drive away!! Alarms and safes can help but when someone is this brazen that won't do much good and with no real consequences it's not being discouraged significantly. The police need to take those vehicles out of that driveway and act quickly or there will be no tourist tax $ for gas for those vehicles! Once the criminals are caught they need to be dealt with swiftly and severely. It sounds dramatic but I think the island is in a precarious situation and could go either way. With the battle for the shrinking tourist $ at a high the authorities can't look at it any other way.

[Lulu76]

Everytime I hear about crime on STJ and how the police continue to do nothing, I just think of what happened in Aruba. You know that had to cost them tourism dollars, and I can tell you I wouldn't feel safe on Aruba, and I would probably never pay money to go there. If they don't get the current mentality out of the police officers, that same situation has great potential to happen on STJ or anywhere in the USVIs.

I still can't believe when someone posted here about their experience with the machete-wielding person while they were dining. If I'm not mistaken, I believe the police were called, and it was totally blown off. They didn't even send anyone out. That's unacceptable, and God help the police if they tried that with me, because I would walk right into the station and probably end up in jail after I reamed someone.

On another board, someone was posting about areas of STJ that were not safe, and they listed the area near the police station (off the top of my head I'm not sure where that is exactly, if someone would like to chime in). Surely that says a lot...

I'll just cross my fingers and say a little prayer that I don't have any trouble while I'm on St. John, because I'm pretty sure I'd be upset with how it was handled.

And, for the love of God, make sure you wear your seatbelt, since that seems to be all the police care about!

[dehman]

I would think the business owners (I assume there is some sort of association(s))would be exerting some serious pressure on the officials. Is that happening? I would also guess if they did catch any of these lovely folks they would put that in the paper. I don't seem to see that so either they don't put it in the paper or more likely they rarely catch anyone. But as long as they can blame lighting, alarms, the national debt, oil prices, global warning, the value of the dollar (what did I forget?!) they can deflect their responsibility. But if you wear your seatbelt everything will be peachy!! As you can see I have a pet issue!!

[designbyroe]

Dehman
We do have a fair amount of people that post on this board that live on STJ or STT and some are business owners...so maybe one of more of them will respond to your post
I can not say 100% since I not living on island at this time, but it is not always easy to commuicate with the govt and the police.
We do have a new government and Gov DeJongh from what I have been told is working on making changes.
Tradewinds is a very well written paper and MaLinda and her team do their best to get ALL the story and report on that.

[dehman]

I have heard good things about the new Gov. from my friends on the island and they indicate that he has been proactive at promoting business and tourism. It sounds like he (or one of his peeps) may need to become more involved so that his initiatives do not get derailed by an armed robbery gone bad and that WILL happen unless this is curbed ASAP.

[Pianogrl]

I'm curious too to hear from the perspective of those living on STJ.....are you able to make any breakthroughs with phone calls, emails, 'face-to-face' talks with the Chief of police, Govenor &/or tourism officials?? Y'all have a great voice...please use it as you can!! Collectively maybe you can get a 'grassroots' push going to get them serious about the crime issues of STJ....a place we all love.

Just curious....

[papabou]

most posts on this board are info or entertainment. i was reluctant to begin this one but i wanted to be sure those who follow this board and love stj as i do didn't miss a significant event in a series of crimes on stj. your posts have comfirmed i've been in denial about stj crime risks. risks that now have me questioning if i am stupid to subject my wife (and me) to the trauma (if not physical injury) of increasing crime on stj.

i kept telling myself, stay away from the suspect areas and be observant everywhere and you will be secure. i felt there was safety in numbers at most beaches, protection while traveling in a moving vehicle and of course you are safe at your villa. facts and realization of places we've stayed, now have me feeeling we have just been lucky we weren't victims. bride's a smoker and goes out on deck after i've turned in and during night to enjoy her smokes and the sights of the night. how vulnerable has she been? no more with the current situation on stj. plans for a sept trip to stj have been redirected to a more secure place.

stj has a long way to go before i'll be renting a villa there again for the 2 of us. when i casually suggested we consider gallows pt, the westin or caneel for the next trip, bride said the reason she tolerated all the hassel of getting to stj was the privacy & openness of villa life in a tropical paradise. if she's going to a resort, she'll op for an easier trip to cancun, cozumel, T&C or the bahamas. when we go to those places (just as much crime in most) we taxi to the resort and don't leave. that's all we've ever known at those locations, what the resort has to offer.

until she's fixed, i'll enjoy stj via the boards and via guy trips or maybe with a bigger crowd.

a sad papabou

[South Shore Villa]

While we have never had any trouble with our St John Villa or in our neighborhood; we do have an alarm, security cameras, safes, security lights, good cell phone service, and a lockable gate. Additionally, our neighbors keep a close eye on things.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Our guests are our greatest assets.

Larry
southshorevilla@gmail.com
www.stjohnrental.com

[Teresa_Rae]

Larry-

What cell phone provider do you use? When we were at Sol Inclination in June, we had 3 different providers among us and none of us got service up in Skytop.