Center for Labor Education & Research, University of Hawaii - West Oahu: Honolulu Record Digitization Project

Honolulu Record, Volume 9 No. 24, Thursday, January 10, 1957 p. 1

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More Burglaries in Waikiki than Other Parts of Honolulu

Though police figures are not yet complete, it is expected by reliable police sources that the year's annual report will show that, as usual, burglaries in the Waikiki area are higher than anywhere else in the city.

Police figures show that, over a five-year period an area that includes the heart of Waikiki has averaged 153 burglaries per year. Another area toward Kapahulu, still considered part of Waikiki and including the Moana, the Biltmore, and several smaller tourist hotels, has a much lower average of 68 burglaries per year.

But police sources say there is no doubt that Waikiki as a part of Honolulu has the highest burglary rate of any part of the city.

Another area where burglaries are numerous is that in which the McCully-King St Intersection might be a center. An average of 112 burglaries per year is estimated for the district, while an area centering on the lower part of Liliha St. is also high with an average of 103 burglaries per year. Punchbowl has also proved fertile hunting ground for burglars, police say, though no figure on that area was obtained.

There are a number of factors that make Waikiki rank at the top of the list for burglaries, police say, and none of them relate to any distinction made in policing the area. If anything, Waikiki gets closer, protective attention than most other parts of the city.

Open To Burglars

For one thing, the informal free and-easy manner of operation of many tourist hotels might seem to the rapacious almost like an invitation to burglary. In some, cases, burglars have had no difficulty in walking, into unlocked, obviously open apartments, to carry off what they liked.

There is one case where a burglar entered such an apartment and walked out with a turkey which has been roasting in the oven. There are many cases where jewelry, cameras and other such easily movable, valuables have been taken from apartments left unprotected.
 
Carelessness of the tourists is another factor. Many visitors to Waikiki become so imbued with Hawaiian hospitality after a little while, police say, that they don't believe it's necessary to lock doors and windows when they go out. Often, they may return to discover they have been victimized.

''Tourists must remember," said a police official this week, "that they should take all the precautions they normally would at home."

Sometimes, it develops, tourists report losses which may not necessarily be attributed to that area. That occurs with those who have ranged over the entire Island, then discover a camera or a valuable ring missing. They may have been victims of burglars, or they may have merely left the object somewhere along the course of their rambles.

Tourist-Burglars, Too

Nothing in the report should be taken to indicate the local residents of Waikiki are more inclined to be burglars than anyone else or even more inclined in that direction than the tourists, themselves. Burglaries committed by tourists are an old story to police.

There are no known gangs of burglars "working" the Waikiki area, police say. The closest thing to organized burglary was committed by a serviceman, recently arrested and now in custody, they say, who may be "good for" quite a number of unsolved burglaries. . But most of the burglaries turn out to be crimes in which some-thing or someone looked just too easy for the burglar to resist.

The rate of apprehension of, burglars, as local police proudly point out, is higher in Honolulu than in most cities of comparable size on the Mainland. As for Waikiki, they feel one cannot make adequate comparison with such figures here except with those from resort cities on the Mainland and no such figures are immediately available.

p /> I do not say that at odd hours a patient must be given the regular hot dinner or supper. Few people would expect this.
 
But what is so complicated about opening and heating a can of soup, making some toast, or preparing instant coffee or tea? Why cannot a night nurse do these simple things after the kitchen to closed? Is it just too much trouble?

It is only common humanity to feed the hungry. If our hospitals are too big, too complex, too impersonal to do these small kindnesses for the sick, something is very wrong.