Make Waikiki safer, day and night

Waikiki is generally regarded as a safe place. On most days, a steady flow of visitors stroll Kalakaua Avenue’s shops and restaurants from sunrise until hours after the lighting of sunset tiki torches.

The no-worries beachside vibe is underscored by record-breaking visitor arrivals in recent years. And in January, the new year kicked off with visitor spending hitting the highest-ever statewide total for a single month in Hawaii’s history. Amid such gains, though, is an undercurrent of growing concern about criminal activity.

The concern — stoked by several high-profile crimes, including four slayings in the tourist district last year — must be addressed quickly. The Visitor Public Safety Conference held last week, at which industry officials huddled with law enforcement, military and various business sector representatives, marked a promising step toward putting in place public safety improvements that will also help safeguard Waikiki’s visitor destination reputation.

The Honolulu Police Department is already rightly stepping up its presence in Waikiki. Prior to early November, HPD assigned about 100 officers to work in the district — on foot, in cars, on bikes and on ATVs. Since then, it has increased staffing with new recruits, resulting in a doubling of late-night and early-morning watch. Also, 10 street cameras were installed.

HPD Chief Susan Ballard has recommended that the district consider eliminating its 4 a.m. cabaret liquor license. Such a move should be strongly considered — cutting off alcohol service earlier in the a.m. could go a long way toward reducing inebriation-fueled crime.

Waikiki stakeholders should be alarmed by an ongoing assessment — conducted by the Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board — weighing whether certain late-night hotspots and locations should be off limits to military personnel due to concerns about violent crime and other illegal activity. Such a ban would mar the district’s reputation as a walkable place regardless of the hour.

In December, the board issued an advisory warning service members about illegal activity. It noted that 13 establishments near the intersections of Kalakaua and Royal Hawaiian avenues and Kala­kaua and Kapahulu avenues had resulted in 1,000 arrests in a recent six-month period. That’s roughly five arrests a day, which doesn’t seem an extreme figure, given the volume of visitor-related foot-traffic. However, there were a few particularly brutal recent cases in which military members were victims.

In one, a 16-year-old boy was charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a Kaneohe-based Marine who was stabbed while attempting to fend off a purse-snatching assault. The attack occurred at about 1 a.m. on a Saturday near the Kalakaua and Royal Hawaiian intersection — where it’s easy to imagine feeling safe beneath street lights shining on upscale retail shops.

Because suspected assailants in that case and several others were teens, stakeholders are sizing up perceived threats tied to homeless youth and gang activity. Ballard has recommended reinstating HPD’s Juvenile Services Division, which was disbanded in 2009. A fresh division working in tandem with social service agencies to place youth in safe housing and nurturing environments would surely alleviate some festering problems.

In January, visitor arrivals bumped up by about 5 percent compared to last year’s count. On any given day in that month, there were nearly 259,500 visitors statewide, with most based in Waikiki. Also, visitors spent nearly $1.7 billion in January, up nearly 5 percent from the prior year. But such gains are fragile.

Waikiki’s rep as a relatively safe destination could be tarnished, and tourism industry gains lost, if HPD’s flashing blue lights become an expected sight on strolls along Kalakaua. Police, government and industry leaders, and others must work together to stem the emerging crime trajectory.