Last week, thieves stole the batteries from one of my tractors for the fourth time in three years. In another incident, vandals did about $14,000 worth of damage to a tractor, stealing the radiators. They probably got $250 from a scrap yard. Add in the lost work, the cost of the batteries — about $450 this time — and the general disgust that goes with having one’s property stolen and it gets hard to want to stay in business in Hawaii.

Calling the police is pointless; all it does is provide a case number to file an insurance claim, which in this case wouldn’t have mattered because my deductible is more than the loss.

I’m certainly not the only one. Every farmer I know has lost equipment and crops. Batteries, copper, machines, fruit, tools — the list goes on and on. We may fantasize about catching one of the thieves in the act, but the chances aren’t good — and we also know we would probably get in trouble for protecting our own property.

There isn’t any shortage of suspects. Most parts of Oahu have a roster of drug addicts, vagrants and generally worthless types. Yes, I used the word "worthless" to describe some of the people who live here. If you think that’s callous and uncaring, then it’s probably because you haven’t experienced a theft yourself … yet.

Rest assured, you have paid for the actions of criminals; you just didn’t realize it. Every time you buy something, you pay a hidden "tax" in the form of the expenses the business owner has to include in his pricing to pay for lost merchandise and security. Every time the copper wiring for streetlights or aluminum bridge railings are stolen for scrap, or graffiti has to be painted over, you pay for it in increased taxes.

Every trucker in the state bears the cost of theft in his insurance premiums, and when you buy something that was delivered by truck, you pay for it. Every farmer in Hawaii has to include the cost of theft and vandalism when pricing his products, and you pay for it.

Hawaii needs to change its attitude toward crime. We need to stop viewing theft as a symptom of our failure to provide help to criminals. Thieves do not need counseling, education grants, or more social workers boosting their self-esteem. Thieves do not need organized activities, sports leagues or whatever else the feel-good, flavor-of-the-month solution is.

Thieves need to be punished in such a way as to make the cost of crime greater than the rewards. How many times have we heard of someone arrested for a serious crime with dozens of prior convictions? How many career criminals laugh at being arrested, knowing that whatever sentence they receive will be short, or reduced to probation? More importantly, how many police know how futile it is to expend much effort on property crimes, as few convictions result in jail time?

Many things, including the crime rate, determine our quality of life. Tolerating theft and vandalism only leads to more criminal activity and a general coarsening of our society. When we fail to react to crime, it should come as no surprise that it increases. Lawlessness feeds on itself.

We need mandatory sentences that judges can’t ignore. We need lengthy sentences for repeat offenders. Maybe incarceration is more expensive than probation, but it’s worth it for two reasons. One is to send a message. The other is simply this: A thief can’t steal while he is locked up.