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I've never been to Puna area. So I know nothing about it at all. But reading the comments about theft ... and people just basically willing and able to strip you and your house of everything and then backfill with squatters, it just makes me wonder why anyone would choose to buy, build or move there ?
Surely it can't be that bad can it ? If so, it just doesn't sound too appealing. There must be some redeeming qualities.
Thieves here will steal all your kitchen cabinets, your water pump, copper pipes and wires, and everything else, and then squatters will move in and live in the shell.
Quote:
Originally Posted by leilaniguy
Yep, anything that isn't nailed down and anything they can pry loose. Earlier this year a friend had his water pump, pressure tank, filter, propane tank and regulator stolen. Now he carries a gun. A couple of years ago there was a house for sale in Waa Waa on the MLS that had the entire roof stolen. I even know of a case several years back where a guy fell two storeys off his roof and died. After going through a long probate his mainland daughter put it on the market and the realtor told her there was no house... Yes you need a caretaker.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hi207408
Yes you need a caretaker... even the lumber from whatever you have built is fair game.. if left alone for long. I too have seen it with my own eyes. Anything usable.. sellable..etc.. will be pillaged. Prettymuch a 100% guarantee.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WaikikiBoy
Surely it can't be that bad can it ?
Earlier in this thread I referenced high crime - and it was somewhat dismissed. 99% of the US population can't relate to the above.
I travel at least 50% of the time - often a week or two at a time. In the very unlikely event someone breaks into my home - they would be looking for laptops, jewelry, cash, etc - they aren't going to be backing a truck in my driveway and take my kitchen cabinets, roof - or as someone said, everything is fair game.
Well, I should add that the three crimes I referenced were against vacant properties, which was my point.. My home hasn't been robbed here since 1992. (Didn't have a dog.)
The local officials and police don't try to do something about the crime situation?! And residents don't
demand? I would think this affect year-round residents even more, because they could have a physical encounter with an intruder and things escalate out of control...
When I first moved here there were three cops assigned to Puna, with just over 20,000 people. I was robbed in Nanawale in 1989, had to wait 3 days for a cop to show up, who said "Well you don't expect to get anything back, do you? I'm not sure, but I believe Puna has over 16 or more full time police, but that's for over 40,00 people. Not enough to police a village really.
I really think citizens of Puna should demand that the government officials and police deliver a safer living environment. I am a gun enthusiast myself, but I don't want to have to carry a gun around in preparation of shooting someone day in and day out. That's not the way to live.
With the help of technology, mainly security cameras, crime fighting and prevention can be much more efficient than before. If you put cameras on every street corner, you can almost always catch the bad guy, and once you can almost always catch the bad guy, bad guys go somewhere else to do their bad deeds.
Some may say this is police state, even if it is, police state seems what Puna needs. But it is not really; there are rules about data access. Plus, if you don't have anything to hide, you don't care about cameras on public premises. This is no different from cameras in stores.
Even in the crazy liberal SF bay area, cities have embraced this concept. The city of Belvedere went the farthest. They are a enclosed community with one road going in and out, much like many of the developments in Puna. They implemented a program to capture license plate of every car going in and out of the neighborhood. Criminals will think twice about committing a crime in Belvedere because they can't get away with it.
This is very far cry from Belvedere. All we need is a buttload of money, Which most people in Puna don't have. A few years back security cams were installed in Pahoa. They all broke down, no money earmarked for maintenance. The government here, such as it is is unreal.
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