tim
Moderator
Reged: 06/18/03
Posts: 6111
Loc: Vélo, Virginia, Vitet
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I don't wish to spoil the illusion of security, but most "locked" sliding doors can be unlocked with a simple pry bar. I'm with IV. The gendarmes need to get their butts in gear, catch these rascals, and make an example of them with their sentences.
FWIW, there's always the speculation on crime statistics that an increase in crimes is actually only an increase in the reporting of the crimes. The new daily news publication seems to report on such matters more than the other established publication. Of course, these thieves entering houses where people are obviously staying deserve much more attention than those that have simply grabbed property from uninhabited villas.
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The best moderation is the least moderation.
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georgedp
Reged: 06/22/04
Posts: 2804
Loc: Beautiful hunterdon county new...
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Quote:
The gendarmes need to get their butts in gear, catch these rascals, and make an example of them with their sentences.
Agree - guillotine -
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bto
Reged: 04/10/03
Posts: 1452
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LOL...guillotine works for me :)
We had NO safe last time so our valuables went with us...not necessarily the best solution but it worked...
Let's hope these people don't start trying to remove those sliders, Tim...I know how easily that can be done.
Tim, whip those gendarmes into shape, will you? Maybe you could teach them how to do a bicycle patrol, LOL.
bev
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JimD
Reged: 05/16/04
Posts: 712
Loc: St Barts of Course
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Living on St Barts, speaking French, listening to gossip, speaking to gendarmes and knowing an awful lot that "outsiders" don't get to hear about, I can honestly say that I have never even heard the slighest suggestion of a burglary with violence.
The only firearms on the island are owned by the police, gendarmes and paf.
The advice remains simple and the same: Petty theft exists, put your valuables in the safe, lock your laptops, Ipods etc in one of the bedrooms when you go out, don't leave same lying around the living areas when you go to sleep, and leave a bathroom light on somewhere (a professional thief taught me that one!) when you go to bed.
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Premium IV
St Barts
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Cheri
Reged: 10/13/02
Posts: 1689
Loc: St. Louis, Missouri
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The fact that the victims are here on this forum reporting what happened kind of brings it close to home. This would seem to be not that difficult of a crime (crimes) to put the brakes on. Whenever we have been out late in SBH, there are just not that many cars on the road late at night, or people. The security cameras are a great idea as there aren't that many roads anywhere, but especially in Pointe Milou. So if they were to place them discreetly yet strategically throughout the island, it would seem that would be quite a deterrent. After all, this is a wealthy island, and money should have better security in place. They really need to get a handle on this before something more tragic happens.
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georgedp
Reged: 06/22/04
Posts: 2804
Loc: Beautiful hunterdon county new...
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I see a money making opportunity here for you. Premium IV Security Service -
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Cheri
Reged: 10/13/02
Posts: 1689
Loc: St. Louis, Missouri
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Quote:
Living on St Barts, speaking French, listening to gossip, speaking to gendarmes and knowing an awful lot that "outsiders" don't get to hear about, I can honestly say that I have never even heard the slighest suggestion of a burglary with violence.
The only firearms on the island are owned by the police, gendarmes and paf.
It wouldn't necessarily take a firearm for it to become violent. A villa renter who wakes up to being violated, gets really pissed and in the heat of the moment and not thinking, confronts the thieves.... could make for a tragic situation.
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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I think JimD is probably correct. Back In The Day, someone may have been burgled and none of us ever heard about it.
If a crime occurs in a tourist resort and there is no internet, did the crime really occur? Sort of the rhetorical "tree falling in the forest and not making a sound" question. Of course the crime occured. We just did not know about it.
I think simple solutions will probably be sufficient for most cases - leaving lights on around the villa, locking down those things at night that can be locked down and not leaving the villa all dark.
No one has yet described Horribly Malicious People who will do anything without regard to harm or risk of capture. Instead, what has been described so far sounds more like opportunists who are willing to run what they believe are small risks. As such, they will avoid anything that they see as not being an easy mark. A couple of lights and a locked-down villa will discourage many such fellows.
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JimD
Reged: 05/16/04
Posts: 712
Loc: St Barts of Course
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Not in the plan :)
However there is a company on the island that provides a "Security Round", basically touring areas of the island looking for suspicious activity much as the cops that don't shut up shop at 5:30 in the rest of the world do. (That is in fact a bit unfair to the Gendarmes, I have seen them responding at 3am).
I honestly don't know if the real estate companies contract with this company. It's run by Eric "Nevershakehishandorhewilldestroyyourknuckles" Lallouette.
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Premium IV
St Barts
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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Quote:
It wouldn't necessarily take a firearm for it to become violent. A villa renter who wakes up to being violated, gets really pissed and in the heat of the moment and not thinking, confronts the thieves.... could make for a tragic situation.
I am afraid Cheri is correct. Many americans, as well as some Continentals, have seen enough violence in their hometowns so as to assume that every confronation is potentially life and death. As such, in the middle of the night, I can foresee a situation where a tourist does not recognize mere Nice Burglars when he sees them and such a situation could get tragic very quickly.
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Dennis
Reged: 04/05/04
Posts: 3202
Loc: Chicago
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IV,
With all due respect...would you move on from solving the staggering crime problem and post you're damn Trip Report?!!!
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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Quote:
IV,
With all due respect...would you move on from solving the staggering crime problem and post you're damn Trip Report?!!!
The trip report will take time and effort. This issue, so-called petty crime, is not particularly new. Nor are the potential solutions arcane and obscure.
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