LIHU‘E — He may have lost a few screens and some other items, but Tom Pickett of Kilauea Bakery and Pau Hana Pizza has kept his sense of humor. Last week, his business was burglarized for the fourth time in
LIHU‘E — He may have lost a few screens and some other items, but Tom Pickett of Kilauea Bakery and Pau Hana Pizza has kept his sense of humor.
Last week, his business was burglarized for the fourth time in about a year, despite the presence of a sophisticated security system.
“It’s getting to be a little too routine for me, averaging a break in every three months,” he said in an e-mail.
“We’ve spent a lot of our resources on window bars, locks, reinforced cement, safes, alarms, cameras, etc.
“But on the bright side, it’s nice to know we’re popular,” he said. “I just wish they’d stop patronizing our business by coming in through the windows after hours. My bill to repair window screens is skyrocketing.”
Since A&B Audio Video installed the system, two burglaries have been prevented, “so it was worth the effort” to install the system, Pickett said in a telephone interview last week.
The system also helped identify the suspect in last week’s burglary, Pickett said. “It’s in their hands,” he said of the Kaua‘i Police Department’s ongoing investigation into the case.
Last summer, a loud alarm thwarted one burglary. During the winter holidays, someone sawed a hole in the bakery’s floor and took the entire safe.
The presence of the security system scared away a would-be burglar in March, he said.
The latest incident again involved someone cutting a window screen, moving a sliding glass window and entering the business. The perpetrator left fingerprints, and an easily identifiable face image on the security camera, Pickett said.
At least two other burglaries also happened in the Kilauea area last week, with burglaries continuing to be reported at various locations across the island, according to the KPD’s daily incident bulletin.
Another system was recently installed at Kilauea Fish Market, by Adam Orens of A&B Audio Video. The market had been burglarized on more than one occasion as well.
With no end in sight for home and business burglaries, KPD reiterated earlier comments on how to prevent victimization:
“We urge the public to take precautions, keep an eye out for each other and call the police if you notice any suspicious activity,” said Lt. Dan Abadilla.
The three Ds of protection offered by the KPD Patrol Services Bureau to reduce one’s chances of becoming victims of property crime include:
Deterrence: good lighting, alert Neighborhood Watch program, and sturdy doors, windows and locks;
Delay: Good home security will slow a burglar down. They will not waste time or expose their intentions for long if they cannot find an easy target. A few minutes delay, an alert neighbor and they will be caught;
Detection: An alarm system covering the perimeter and interior of your home, a barking dog, a good Neighborhood Watch program.
“I urge everyone to take preventive measures to greatly reduce your chances of becoming a victim of property crime,” said Lt. Kaleo Perez, Lihu‘e district commander.
“Crimes are less likely to occur in areas where people look out after each other,” he added.
He recommends business owners keep fellow businesses apprised of their safety and security concerns.
“When people get together, new ideas and theories arise, which may open your eyes to vulnerabilities in your home or business that you may not have thought of,” said Perez.
