Oahu Crime
 

Hello,
As I continue making plans for my upcoming trip, I wanted to get additional information about crime safety in Oahu. I understand it's important to use precaution and to not leave valuables in the car. However, can you provide information if there are certain areas that are pretty bad? Specifically, how are the areas near the Ala Moana Center and Waikiki Beach? According to Fodors, they advise not to visit Ala Moana Beach at night due to the neighborhood. What are your thoughts?

Thank you,
Grouptravel

You need to realize that Honolulu is a city, and just like most cities you will be safer in areas that have people out and about.

Ala Moana beach park is closed at night, so even if you wanted to go walk on a dark and deserted beach, you can't park your car there at night.

Most of Waikiki has peple out walking around much of the night, and walking from Ala Moana to Waikiki is fine during normal hours.

It is mainly in areas where lots of tourists park their cars, then leave them (beach lots, hikihg trails, etc) that break-ins are a problem.

Honolulu is a pretty safe city, despite what you'll see on Dog, the Bounty Hunter.

lcuy is correct. And please understand that Ala Moana Beach is not a "neighborhood," it's a beach park removed from the residential area. I live in the neighborhood! And it's safe.

Here is another thread about crime in Hawaii, if you do a search, you will find more helpful hints:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34899214

Thanks for the current responses. I've done alot of research (on Fodors, Tripadvisor, Google sites) during the past few hours and I think I've made myself nervous wreck. I completely understand that you must use the same common sense when traveling as you would at home. However, there were articles that stated visitors should leave the rental car unlocked with the windows down, there's an organziation that helps visitors who have been victimized (Society of .....) and tourists are being attacked in mall parking lots and on the street. These reports make Oahu appear as though it's one of the unsafest places in the world. I ususally recieve good insight from the Fodorites so that's why I reached out to you.

Thanks!!!

I was in Waikiki a couple months ago for a week (my third trip, gone twice solo/female and once with a friend).

I love it there. I have never seen or felt any hint of danger. That said, it is a city and there are some pretty colorful local characters around, but it has a really good, safe feel imo. There's tons of people out walking on the streets at all hours of the night and day... in central Waikiki I'm talking about. It's very festive and fun.

I am speaking specifically about Waikiki and the beach there, I'm not familiar with other parts of Honolulu.

The storing luggage in your rental car situation is nothing to do with your personal safety, but it's still not a good idea.

grouptravel, I will tell you how lucky I got. Normally when we travel, I will wear a pair of shorts that has zippered pockets. I normally leave with some cash, a credit card, my drivers license and a chapstick in my pockets. Lock the other stuff in the hotel safe. That's what I normally do.

Well, this time.........we arrived, went out to play with our friends and came back to the hotel and crashed. The next morning we decided to go across the street to McDonald's for a quick Egg McMuffin. I took my purse with me since we were just across the street.

After breakfast we decided to walk over to the Ala Moana beach park. We were almost to the park and I remembered I had left my purse sitting at McDonald's.

I could just imagine having to spend my day on the phone and internet with the credit card companies, etc.

We ran (now that was a sight seeing my little fat legs carrying my big fat arse) back to McDonald's. My heart really pounded when my purse had been turned in and still had everything untouched!

So, I was dumb, but I know you will be smart and stay safe. Remember, you are in a big city.

We just returned from Rome. We had heard all sorts of horror stories about being mugged, being pick-pocketed by gypsies, being scammed by taxi drivers and how we needed to wear money belts, etc, etc.

Our actual experience? We weren't mugged, we saw no gypsies, we weren't subjected to pick pocket attempts and believe it or not, didn't even use money belts! Does this mean we were cavalier and blind to our environment? No, we used common sense and kept our wits about us. Things any traveler should do when they go to a new and unfamiliar place.

Information overload is a bad thing and can lead to paralysis. Take everything you read worth a grain of salt, don't surrender your own good judgement, and do trust your intuition about making decisions.

Bill

Excellent advice from Bill above.

I truly do believe that the internet and travel forums (love 'em as I do) can lead to undue paranoia about things like this.

Hi Bill! I was good to read your comments about Rome! I look forward to your trip report when you have the time and energy of course.

LOL, I feel the same as Bill did: I am leaving soon for Rome and am semi-freaking out that I will be abducted by gypsies, fleeced by cab drivers, and pickpocketed immediatley upon arrival from some of the the stuff I have read on these board!

I have been to Honolulu 60-70 times and have never felt unsafe; I have never been pickpocketed there, had my car vandalized, or "lost" anything in a hotel room. (I hope I will be able to say the same about Italy!)

There is an island-wide service group called the Visitor Aloha Society that springs into action any time a tourist encounters troubles--from petty theft to death-while-on-vacation--these volunteers will assist in anyway necessary.

If reality ever came close to the hysterics we read online, then New Orleans would be in trouble!! My friends in other places seem amazed that I survive 12 hours on these mean streets, LOL. Fact is that most visitors (and most people who are trying to stay out of trouble) don't have ANY problems here, just like in every other major city.

Everyone,
Thank you for your responses. I'm not changing my plans but I wanted additional insight from those who have visited the island.

grouptravel, I'm pretty sure you will be pleasantly surprised!

If you talk with the Honolulu Police Dept and do a search of the Hawaiian press you will learn that there is a crystal meth epidemic in Hawaii. The resulting quest for drug money drives property crime in Hawaii, one of the highest rates in the U.S. So certain precautions are advisable. I know people who have been pick-pocketed in Waikiki, had their rental vehicles broken into (including their trunks), and even had stuff stolen off their beach towels while they were swimming. But this doesn't mean living in fear or staying home. It just means taking certain precautions such as taking with you only what is necessary when you go out for the day. And if you stop at a place to eat, take your camera, backpack, purse, etc. inside the restaurant with you. And as one HPD officer told me, don't rummage around in the trunk of your car at popular tourist spots and make it rather obvious that you are, for example, leaving your video camera in there to be stolen.