An Increase In ‘Violent, Brazen’ Crime Raises Concerns On Oahu… More murders and aggravated assaults were reported in the first seven months of this year compared with pre-pandemic levels.
Many Oahu residents are feeling rattled and nervous about their perception that violent crime is on the rise. Newly released statistics from the Honolulu Police Department make it clear the change is not just in people’s imagination.
The number of murders, aggravated assaults, forcible sex assaults and robberies on the island climbed about 5.6% in the first seven months of the year compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the statistics. To some extent a bounce had been expected because people only began returning to normal patterns of activity well into 2021 as the coronavirus pandemic ebbed and vaccinations became widespread.
But officials expressed concern about some worrisome trends on the island, with recent headline-grabbing events displaying a disturbing quality: panicked tourists on Waikiki Beach fleeing a man brandishing a gun; a pregnant woman shot dead at a Chinatown bus stop; a 7-Eleven employee charged with attempted murder after lopping off a customer’s hand with a sword.
