Aruba: Crime Increased 11.3% Last Year … Youth Crime a Major Concern

What ever happened to Aruba … “One safe island” where no crime ever took Crime 5place? It would appear that myth has now been put to rest. Aruba may want to revise the following articles regarding the crime rate to unsuspecting tourists. Of course there are other crimes that occur in Aruba that are not referred to in much of any manner. However, the increase in youth crimes make it completely believable that the 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway could have been entirely planned and perpetrated by youths.

Since crime in Aruba is relatively low, you can travel with peace of mind

On rare occasions, armed robbery and car theft have occurred. Vehicle leases or rental contracts may not be fully covered by local insurance when a vehicle is stolen or damaged, so make sure you are sufficiently covered when renting cars and jet skis.

The crime discussed by the ALE is referring to youth and gang violence, not petty pick pocketing. Rare? You be the judge. Since 2005 to 2007 there has been an average criminality increase per day of 2.10 crimes. Rare?

According to reports from the ALE, criminality has increased with 11.3 percent last year. Home robberies and youth crime have been targeted as the reason for the increase. Crime is on the increase in Aruba and there appears to be a disturbing trend with youth and crime. Have the youth in Aruba become out of control and feel a sense of invisibility?

Points of concern are the development of the youth criminality and “the growing ease with which firearms are being used”, said chief of police Peter de Witte looking back on last year.

The youth criminality has been raised to priority one this year. “Youth criminality, definitely after the serious incidents of last year, is heavily qualified for the subjective safety feeling.

Thus, the number of crimes has increased last year. The number of crimes committed in 2005 was 5511; in 2006, 5643; and in 2007, 6277

Looking back to 2005 and the Natalee Holloway missing persons case when Aruba became a household name to many for all the wrong reasons, we see that three suspects were named at the time. Was the Natalee Holloway case and her presumed death just one in the many of a trend of youth violence taking place in Aruba? Many people had thought at the time how could 3 young suspects, Joran Van der Sloot, Deepak Kalpoe and Satish Kalpoe, pull such a crime off? With the ever increasing crime rate and Aruba and the ever increasing crime rate among youths, is it really that unbelievable now?

Criminality increased with 11 percent (Amigoe: June 13, 2008)

Looking back on 2007, chief of police Peter de Witte is of the opinion that the shooting incident near Arubus in December of last year, whereby a 19-year old boy shot a police officer and was self shot and killed, is an example of the hardening in the society and especially with the youth.

ORANJESTAD – From the tentative figures of the Police Corps of Aruba it appears that criminality has increased with 11.3 percent last year. This has to do with mainly the sharp rise of the number of robberies, especially in homes. The police are highly satisfied with the approach of the local drug dealings and the use of narcotics; more than 200 kilo cocaine was confiscated last year, double the amount of 2006.

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Posted June 13, 2008 by
Amigoe, Aruba, Child Welfare, Crime, Deepak Kalpoe, Joran Van der Sloot, Main, Missing Persons, Natalee Holloway, Travel | 19 comments

Aruba Tourism Claims High Occupancy Hotel Numbers … Too Bad They are Not from America & Too Bad Numbers Can Be Deceiving

First let’s clear up yet another fact that Aruba has got wrong, the US is not in a recession. That being said Aruba is once again touting supposedly strong tourism numbers for 2008. Of course as anyone knows any number can be manipulated to look good. With the cost of living increasing and CPI on the rise, the reality is that tourism would have to far out perform what it did in 2005.

Rob Smith, director of Hotel- and Tourism Organization Ahata.  He anticipates that 2008 will close with 76.5 percent room occupancy, which is going to look like 2005, which was the best year ever for our island.

Baghdad bob

Baghdad Bob Says Aruba Tourism is Safe

Even though with the high cost of fuel AHATA front man Rob Smith believes that the prospects for tourism in Aruba will be good. Mr. Smith, Baghdad Bob also said that American troops were not at their door step and were bogged down in the desert. Fuel costs are effecting everyone, especially those pesky, all important planes at American Airlines that canceled flights that actually bring tourists to Aruba.

The AHATA would like everyone to believe that they are equal to pre-Natalee Holloway tourism numbers. That is not entirely true. Even if all numbers reported are true that the hotel occupancy rates are equal to 2005, there are two truths that have gone unstated. One, less percentage of Americans are traveling to Aruba than in 2005. Two, does anyone think that the hotel rates are the same in 2008 as compared to 2005? Aruba travel packages have been so slashed to entice tourism that the occupancy rate would have to be 50 to 60 percent higher to even break even. Numbers can be deceiving and those in the travel industry only with to put out what makes them look good. Let’s talk revenues vs. expenses and the bottom line.

Ahata: 2008 is going to be a good year despite the recession in the US (Amigoe: June 9, 2008)

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Posted June 11, 2008 by
Aruba, boycott, Economy, Natalee Holloway, Travel | 88 comments

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