Should you lock your car in Saint Barth?

waynek

SBH Insider
I don't usually bother locking my rental cars, which are normally Jimnys. But it appears that almost everyone else locks the car. How frequent is car theft in SBH?

I am not sure why I don't lock, but until a few years ago you normally got a soft top vehicle and there wasn't much point in locking them since it was easy to unbuckle the cover to get access. And many/most villas that I have rented aren't easily locked up either, so perhaps that gives me a laissez-afire attitude.

Should I be locking my car?
 
I always lock my car at home. In St Barth, I lock my car if there's anything in it. I don't bother if the car is empty.

Cars are rarely stolen on St Barth. I have it on good authority that only one car has ever been stolen and not recovered.

However, crimes of opportunity do occur. "Stuff" gets stolen out of cars, as happened to me once back in the late 80's. Please don't leave "stuff" in an unlocked car.
 
Wayne
i agree- not much point in locking a Jimny.We don't,but we never leave anything in it- besides, ours is pretty much of a clunker!
there is way more crime here than there ever used to be.If you've read the posts these last few months,I'd definitely lock a villa
but we've always thought that a locked car begs the question- what's in this car,and why is it locked?
whether one is a local or a tourist,this isn't the St Barts of 30 years ago,and we need to be vigilant
Friends had a wheel removed from a rental at the villa,while they slept,and computers are being stolen from villas while people sleep too
 
I don't lock and at the villa the only thing I leave in the car are the keys. Always know where they are that way.
 
I don't lock and at the villa the only thing I leave in the car are the keys. Always know where they are that way.

And, if the car is stolen with keys left in ignition your renter's insurance is worth $0.00. IMHO
 
Even with a soft top, locking your car is prudent. It's a lot easier to open an unlocked car door and grab something than it is to slit open a roof. I've been on the island when a car of an Eden Rock employee was stolen from Andy's parking lot and I've known several forum members who have been the victim of crime because of unlocked car doors. Take the two seconds and lock your car door.
 
never lock the car...keys are always in the ignition..nothing left in the car.....34 years now....never a problem....

but I am not there when all the beautiful events are going on and all the beautiful people are there being stalked by beautiful crooks either....:wink2:

so its moot

I ll take my chances....
 
Didn't someone get the keys stolen out of the car a few weeks ago? One of the Jim's? I take the keys and leave the car open with nothing in it.
 
My villa keys and my car keys are on interlocked rings. They both live in my pocket, and I always know where both are. I lock my villa too.
 
Some to the villas that it have stayed in were very open to the elements and were not easy to close up unless you were going to move many sliding doors. But they often had bedrooms were you could lock up your valuables.
 
Having grown up outside of NYC, I don't trust anyone. I always lock it if there is anything in it, which we typically have our beach chairs in the back of the car.
 
The only thing i could say is:
-don't leave anything in a car that don't lock (jimny soft top or soft top jeep)
-don't leave your key on the ignition!
I'm in the rental business for over 20 years, the only problems that we had is either cars that had been stolen because keys where on the ignition and the insurance won't cover you by then or personal items that had been stolen from Inside a soft top car or sometimes the top or the spare Wheel...But this case, nothing you can do!
Again, this is no representative as it happen maybe 2or 3 times a season but again the most important to me is not to leave the key in it!
 
Thank you Arnaud! These are crimes of opportunity...why not just lock it and take that opportunity away? No big deal!!
 
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