Incident Date: 2016-12-22 at 17:00
Event Type: Vandalism
Stolen Items: None
Secured: N/A
Source Type: 2nd Hand Report
Incident Details: A local boat boy in a speedboat, very drunk, circled moored yachts at speed, finally deliberately ramming a yacht and putting a hole in its side. The boat boy was later apprehended by police and will be charged.
Incident Date: 2016-12-17 at 19:00
Event Type: Burglary
Stolen Items: Cash, electronics (tablets, phones), fishing gear, knives, flashlight, clothes
Secured: Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A family of experienced bareboat charterers anchored their monohull in Wallilabou, SVG and went ashore for dinner at the Anchorage Hotel Restaurant. They were aware and concerned about the brutal assault/murder of a German charterer and the subsequent lack of any arrest/prosecution in that bay in March 2016. They reviewed the 2015/2016 17th edition cruise guide provided by their charter company, and believed that the author's comment ""The bay has had a reputation for occasional thievery, but it is hoped that a new security system, including video cameras monitored by the coast guard and security guards with flashlights, will put paid to that when anchored off the Wallilabou Anchorage Hotel."" They assumed the security system had been put in place. ||They enjoyed dinner ashore and had a full view of the boat from the restaurant. At 8PM when they returned to the boat, however, they discovered that the locked yacht had been burgled. A forward hatch had been damaged to gain entry. The thieves had thoroughly searched/ransacked all the cabins, lockers and luggage. They found and stole all the hidden cash and personal electronics. They also stole fishing gear, clothing, knives and flashlights. ||The victims contacted the restaurant, who called the police. Three officers arrived in casual clothes and looked around. They took no notes, pictures or any forensic evidence whatsoever, but claimed they would investigate. The victims provided a list of the stolen items and a signed written statement. The officers promised to send the written declaration to the headquarters of the criminal police department in the capital city of Kingstown. They advised that the only way for the victims to get any written confirmation of this case would require the victims to personally visit Kingstown police HQ. ||The victims arranged transportation to Kingstown police HQ the next day. There the officers immediately tried to send them away, but the victims insisted and they took their statement (again) in exchange for a $100 ECD fee. Despite repeated requests the police refused to provide a receipt for this payment. They also refused to provide any written confirmation of receipt of the report. The victims used a cell phone to take a picture of their written statement, and a letter they had written to the SVG Chief of Police. The victims were told that an official written report could be picked up in a couple of weeks. Because they planned to have returned to Europe in that timeframe the victims asked that the formal report be sent by email, which the police promised to do. The victims have had NO contact from SVG police or any SVG officials, despite many repeated requests and attempts to contact the responsible persons both by email and telephone. ||CSSN NOTE: Over a year later, the victims decided it was important to tell their story. The business owners and others had implored them NOT to make any public report, and the police had ignored their report and failed to do anything but take their $100 ECD. They did not observe any patrols or video surveillance, those too an empty promise. CSSN has now updated our database to include this report.||Sadly, actions to suppress reporting of crimes is too common by those with economic interests, leaving the larger cruising community unaware and at increased risk. The victims in this case want others to know not only about the misleading information presented in the cruise guide, and the self-serving pleas of the local business interests to not make any information public, but also the disregard of the police and other officials to take any action, including simply providing the paid for and promised written report. ||Timely and complete reports are easy to make, use the CSSN online reporting form. Reporting – it's everyone's responsibility. Take a few minutes to review a recently published article published in Caribbean Compass on this important topic.
Incident Date: 2016-12-01 at 01:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: hard dinghy
Secured: Unknown
Source Type: 3rd Hand Report
Incident Details: A white, hard dinghy with “Happy Kite Grenadines.com” painted on the side was stolen overnight. It is not known if it had an outboard, was locked, or if the theft was reported to local authorities.
Incident Date: 2016-11-24 at 01:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: dinghy
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: 2nd Hand Report
Incident Details: An in the water and not locked dinghy was stolen, not known if reported to local authorities
Incident Date: 2016-10-27 at 22:00
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: All cash and untraceable items, such as head phones, sunglasses, women's clothing.
Secured: Not Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A charter yacht visited Salt Whistle Bay, and reports they were harassed separately by 2 boat boys, one drunk, who each were intent on directing them to dine at certain restaurants there. That evening they went ashore for dinner and left the yacht unlocked. When they returned at about 8 PM they noticed that sunglasses were missing from the cockpit. The next morning they returned to the restaurant thinking the sunglasses had been left there and were told that the sunglasses had been a "gift" to the owner's son. Over the next day they noticed several other items were missing, and realized they had been boarded. The thief had made a careful search and taken hidden cash from 2 locations as well as other non-serialized items. A report was made to the charter company on departure.
Incident Date: 2016-10-10 at 19:00
Event Type: Assault
Stolen Items: None
Secured: N/A
Source Type: 2nd Hand Report
Incident Details: Two yachts were at anchor in Chateaubelair. At approximatley 1900 hours one was boarded by four men armed with machetes. The captain was able to repel them, but suffered a slash to his forearm and several cuts on his hands. He was later treated at the local hospital. A VHF MAYDAY call was made for assistance but there was no response. He received help and assistance from those aboard the second yacht. A report was made by phone to the local police.
Incident Date: 2016-06-09 at 00:01
Event Type: Theft
Stolen Items: Evinrude 15hp outboard motor
Secured: Locked
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: The outboard engine was locked onto a mounting bracket with padlock and chain on the back of the yacht. It was stolen between 6.30pm & 7.30am, damaging the bracket. The owners were not on board at the time. A police report was made.
Incident Date: 2016-06-02 at 20:30
Event Type: Burglary
Stolen Items: Cash
Secured: Locked
Source Type: 2nd Hand Report
Incident Details: Whilst we were in Union Island, we met a group of 6 Americans/Australians who had chartered a catamaran. While ashore for dinner, the yacht was broken into by the main salon door (locked) and a substantial amount of cash was stolen. It is not known if a police report was made.
Incident Date: 2016-05-25 at 23:00
Event Type: Assault
Stolen Items: Cash and cell phones
Secured: N/A
Source Type: 1st Hand Report
Incident Details: A British flagged vessel was boarded by 2 armed men (knife and gun), 3rd man remained in pirogue. Injuries were reported, and were treated by a physician on a nearby boat. This report was taken during the daily KPK service net. CSSN will update this report when more information is provided by the victims. CSSN UPDATE: First hand report received from the victims as follows:|At 2300 on 25th May 2016, a British flagged yacht was boarded by two masked men, one with a gun, the other a knife. At the time, the couple were asleep in bed but were woken by the noise of a speedboat's engine and, shortly after, by the noise of forced entry via the companionway, which was closed and bolted on the interior and damaged as a result of the intrusion. The intruders demanded money and one of them hit the Captain several times on the head with the ship's heavy torch, whilst his wife was held with an arm around her neck and a gun (possibly imitation) was pointed to her head. The intruders took about EC$500 from the Captain's wallet but refused to believe that was all the cash on board. The Captain was losing much blood from the head wounds but they still demanded more money. They also wanted cell phones and VHF radios so that the crew "could not contact anyone". The Captain's wife gave them three old cell phones that were not used on board, and they took a handheld radio from its cradle. This was later retrieved from the intruders, along with the heavy torch, during a scuffle as they left the yacht in a hurry after about 12 minutes on board. A third man, waiting in a speed boat alongside the yacht, then sped them away. The Captain suffered several head and face injuries, two fractured ribs and some bruising, and was attended by a doctor in the anchorage immediately after the event. His wife was unhurt. The SVG Coastguard, who were contacted by a neighboring yacht, arrived quickly. Three suspects are currently charged with multiple offenses and are in police custody in Kingstown SV. ||The Captain recommends that all cruisers, even in such beautiful places as the Tobago Cays, take security on board very seriously. The best security is to make it so hard for intruders to get into the yacht quickly that they give up, maybe hastened by floodlights/alarm activated by a panic button inside the yacht.
Incident Date: 2016-05-20 at 23:30
Event Type: Assault
Stolen Items: Unknown
Secured: N/A
Source Type: 2nd Hand Report
Incident Details: 3 sailors returning from dinner at 11:30 PM were attacked and pelted with stones. The attacker demanded money. 1 man was knocked unconscious, and held overnight and airlifted out from the local health facility the next day. 2 companions were treated for their injuries and released. Police are reported to have 1 person in custody. Further details from local press http://www.iwnsvg.com/2016/05/23/attacker-knocks-swiss-visitor-unconscious-in-union-island/
