Crime in gated communities jumps

Property crimes in gated communities on Hilton Head Island almost tripled in the three-month period from January to March over the same period last year, the largest increase in recent years, according to numbers released Monday.

The number of property crimes in gated communities jumped from 68 incidents to 201.

Additionally, crime on the island as a whole is up in nearly every category.

A string of incidents at south-end bars, a continuing wave of robberies within gated communities and a rash of vending machine break-ins contributed to the high numbers, Beaufort County sheriff's Capt. Toby McSwain said.

"We didn't exactly start off the year in the tradition that we like to," McSwain told the town's Public Safety Committee meeting Monday. "Everything across the board is pretty much going up."

But law enforcement officers have been making arrests of some of the repeat perpetrators and now have new sets of eyes to help out since a few dozen security cameras were installed in high-crime public areas recently.

The trend of increased crime in gated communities started last summer when the number of incidents first surged.

The biggest increases were in Palmetto Dunes, which went up from 12 incidents to 53, and Hilton Head Plantation, which went from nine incidents to 46.

McSwain said most of the crimes were caused by teenagers, but the Sheriff's Office had difficulty pursuing the individuals because all investigators were tied up working on the case of missing couple John and Elizabeth Calvert. Also, the investigation into a fatal stabbing at Sandalwood Terrace last month consumed a lot of resources.

"In the process of that, I think we had a few more cases come about," McSwain said. "Our major cases take a priority."

Palmetto Dunes officials have said the statistics there include commercial areas such as Shelter Cove and the hotels.

Law enforcement officials believe the same people who have access to both communities are responsible for a lot of cases in Hilton Head Plantation and Palmetto Dunes. That makes the statistics seem worse than they are, officials said.

In light of the recent crimes, security officers in both areas have been increasing their communication with each other and working closely with the Sheriff's Office, Hilton Head Plantation officials said. Part of the problem is the lack of oversight by the parents, said Peter Kristian, general manager of Hilton Head Plantation.

"It is frustrating, the accountability factor," Kristian said, adding that some of the teenagers involved are 14 and 15 years old and typically considered good students. "These kids are more savvy than you and I know."

McSwain predicts the crime numbers will drop in the next quarter as the Sheriff's Office follows up on some of its investigations into vending machine break-ins and juvenile incidents.

"The statistics are high," he said. "We've made some headway, and hopefully we'll see some difference."