Tourist crimes’ reach
is feared

Aid agencies struggle to soften
the impact on those that are seen
as easy prey

Clad only in swimsuits and flip-flops, Jacob and Linda Krestinski shivered as they filed a report in an air-conditioned police station in West Oahu.

Last November, as the couple were savoring a final swim before flying home to Marysville, Wash., someone plucked their rental car keys from the beach and drove off with their luggage, credit cards and identification.

"My glasses were stolen, so I couldn't read to fill out any of the forms," Jacob Krestinski said. "My wife luckily could call the airlines, the rental car company and the credit card company."

The Krestinskis are among a small percentage of visitors to Hawaii who have fallen victim to thieves and other criminals, but every such crime sullies Hawaii's image among tourists.

"We've seen cases where someone takes $5,000 and their ID to the beach," said Jessica Rich, president and executive director of the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii, which assists tourist crime victims. "They tuck it under their towel and go for a swim. When they come back, everything's gone."

Still, the vast majority of visitors to Hawaii arrive and leave without incident. Fewer than 5 percent of all visitors in 2002 and 2003 reported experiencing thefts or physical violence, according to surveys by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Hawaii hosted 6.3 million visitors in 2003, the department said.

Total crimes in Waikiki dropped to 3,576 in 2004 from 4,509 the year before. Of the 20 largest U.S. cities, Honolulu has the lowest crime rates, said Honolulu Police Maj. Thomas Nitta, who oversees Waikiki, the state's most popular tourist center.

Still, the negative publicity of any crime victimizing tourists can hurt Hawaii's largest industry. News-grabbing cases involved a sightseeing van hijacked at knifepoint in January on Oahu's Waianae Coast, and a female Japanese visitor, Yuko Keida, whose hair was set on fire at a bus stop in September by a 12-year-old boy.

"We've marketed ourselves as paradise -- which we are, in some respects -- but we are the 11th-largest city in the country and have all the problems of big cities," said Meda Chesney-Lind, a criminologist at the University of Hawaii.

More visitors explore isolated locations suggested by guidebooks, increasing their risk for crime and accidents, according to a Hawaii Tourism Authority report.

Heather Hoium and her husband, Josh, of Madison, Wis., were robbed at gunpoint one afternoon in May 2003 while photographing a sacred Hawaiian site in a secluded area of Central Oahu. Their assailant, Clayton Young, joined a substance abuse program after his arrest a short time later.

"We were told that many of the criminals are crystal meth addicts and that Hawaii has a very big problem with crystal meth," Heather Hoium said.

Criminals view tourists with pricey cameras and ample cash as easy prey, and figure the long flight to Hawaii will likely discourage victims from returning to testify, Nitta said.

Theft from rental cars is the most commonly reported crime. In 2003 the Visitor Aloha Society assisted 993 cases, ranging from purse snatching to the rare attempted murder. About 61 percent of the crimes were thefts from vehicles.

Jeanette Foster, who writes Hawaii travel guides for Frommer's, recommends emptying rental car trunks, then employing a bit of reverse psychology by leaving the windows down or the doors unlocked.

State agencies and volunteer groups are working to soothe tourists who have been victimized and show that most residents really do "live aloha."

"The people of Hawaii are basically good people, and it's just the criminals out there who ruin it for the whole state," Rich said.

The Visitor Aloha Society provides tourists who are crime victims with ID replacements, transportation, free or discounted hotel rooms, translation services and money for clothing and basic supplies. The organization can also persuade airlines to waive fees on stolen plane tickets.

The state's Crime Victim Compensation Commission supplements the medical insurance of victims of violent crime by paying for lost wages and medical, mental health and funeral expenses.

Pamela Ferguson-Brey, commission director, said tourists do not get any benefits not available to Hawaii residents, "but we make sure we give them the same treatment." She said the commission recently began planning with state and county agencies and the Aloha group to educate tourists and others about the compensation program.

Victim Witness Kokua Services, a unit of the Honolulu prosecuting attorney's office, speeds justice and compensation processes for visitors, who cannot always stay to testify.

"They don't have the support system available that an average resident has here. There's no family, no friends, and they can't go home or go to their bank," said Dennis Dunn, the unit's director.

The state has also toughened penalties for those who victimize tourists. They can now be prosecuted under federal law because they threaten interstate commerce, Nitta said.

"Most visitors, like us, get caught up in the beauty of Hawaii and don't even think that a darker side exists," Heather Hoium said. "I have to say, though, that the other locals were incredibly nice to us and could not believe what had happened."