Kralendijk- The Police Corps Caribbean Netherlands presents an annual overview of crime and traffic figures with the aim of giving the citizens of Bonaire an insight into developments on the island. In order to show a better overview of developments, annual figures for 2019 are compared with the figures for 2018 and 2017.

The property offences (offences in which the offender enriched himself through a crime) show a decrease of 117 cases compared to 2018, compared to 2017, a decrease of as many as 148 incidents, i.e. -20%. Other Theft has dropped from 176 incidents in 2018 to 118 incidents in 2019.

The category of theft from cars at dive sites shows an increase of 31 incidents. This means that in 2019, goods were removed from cars at dive sites twice as often as in 2018.

The violent crimes show 250 cases in 2019. In 2018, there were 284. In 2018, six robberies were recorded in the districts; in 2019, after consequences of additional targeted patrols in the neighbourhoods and integrated approach with the EPC, only one robbery was registered in a house.

Traffic figures show that 1,258 cases have been reported. That’s an increase of 17% compared to 2018 and 38% compared to 2017. With the implementation of the roads traffic regulation on 1 March 2020, we hope to improve the traffic situation on Bonaire.

On the priorities drawn up from the roads – traffic regulation; (drink driving, holding a mobile communication device while driving, driving without child seats, driving without a seatbelt and using a helmet on a motorcycle, scooter or moped) was preventively inspected and warned by the police during 2019. There is already a case that more and more road users will abide by the new rules that will be enforced by 1 March 2020.