Pockets of violence
spur islewide concern

Fourteen percent of the police beats
on Oahu have a significant problem
with the crime of assault

By Richard Borreca
Star-Bulletin

The problem is drugs, the problem is discipline, the problem is no punishment: The problem is violent crime from robbery to assault.

It has people worried across Honolulu, but it shows up most in certain areas.

A new computer-mapping study of Honolulu's police beats and the crimes reported in them shows that certain areas of Honolulu have serious problems with violent crime.

For instance, Salt Lake, parts of Kaneohe and Kailua, Ewa Beach, Pearl City Highlands, Waipahu, Waianae, Kapahulu, Kapiolani and Chinatown have the most serious problems with assaults.

There are 120 police beats on Oahu, but only 14 percent of them have a statistically significant problem with simple and aggravated assault.

Using a computer to map out crime areas is a new technology used across the mainland to examine geographic areas and the specific problems they may have.

Richard Oshiro, a veteran Waipahu Neighborhood Board member, said crime is on everyone's mind.

"The problem with drugs is the biggest contributor," he said.

"It starts with the drugs and then property crimes and then escalates. ... Every neighborhood board meeting, we keep hearing it."

From special community centers for immigrant groups to graffiti paint-outs and sports programs aimed at bored teen-agers, Waipahu leaders are trying to keep the area safe.

City Councilman Mufi Hannemann, a former college basketball player, explains that he is contributing time and money to emphasize sports.

"I do a series of slam 'n' jams," he said.

The key, however, is not just to shoot hoops with teens but to get them one on one for some counseling, he explained.

"I get some community role models to help and play basketball with them and have lunch after ... so we can talk with the kids and share life stories.

"If one or two of those kids walk away turned around, then we have had some success," he said.

Along with assaults, the other violent crime problem in Honolulu is robbery.

The areas with robbery hot spots are Salt Lake, Waipahu, Waipio, Kalihi Valley, Ewa Beach, Chinatown and Ala Moana.

Councilwoman Donna Mercado Kim is urging her Salt Lake area constituents to take up community patrols to stop robberies in the neighborhood.

"We are encouraging them to do it (and) the neighbors are taking their streets back," she said.

"Neighbors are forming telephone trees, so if they see something, they warn others about a suspicious car, or if somebody gets robbed."

This is the kind of specific help the police in the area are hoping to get.

"When the community patrols are out there, they are deterring crime," said Maj. Michael Martines, who is in charge of the Pearl City police district.

To be effective, the community groups have to be small, said Pearl City Sgt. Arron Farias.

"It has to be on a grass roots neighborhood level," he said.

To that end, today Pearl City has 29 citizens groups.

Tomorrow

Property crime is a big problem in Honolulu. It is particularly troubling in areas of Pearl City and Salt Lake.

Beach park areas around Oahu also have the highest rates of thefts from cars.

Police and community leaders are attacking the problem with special patrols, community involvement and even private security forces.

Yesterday