A group of burglars has hit 18 Kailua homes since mid-March, taking more than $20,000 worth of laptops, flat-screen televisions and jewelry, police said.

Police suspect the crimes are related because the same types of items were stolen, and because the thieves always entered through a back window or door and left by walking out the front door. Police said more than two people are involved.

Kailua averages about 30 to 50 burglaries a month, police said, but it is rare to see 18 cases that can be traced to one group. Kailua's proximity to the Pali Highway, Likelike Highway and H-3 Freeway make it easy for thieves to drive in and out of the area quickly, police said.

The two most recent burglaries occurred between April 23 and May 3, police said. A 60-inch flat-screen television was stolen from a home in Lanikai, and jewelry and a laptop computer were taken from a home in Maunawili.

Other thefts have occurred in the Kailua neighborhoods of 'Aikahi, Kalaheo Hillside, Coconut Grove, Olomana and Pohakapu. Police declined to identify streets that were hit.

Police are looking into whether confidential personal information has been stolen from computer hard drives and mail taken from inside some of the burglarized homes.

The break-ins come even as the number of burglaries has been declining each year in Kailua since 2002, decreasing from 1,304 that year to 720 in 2005, the latest year for which statistics are available.

Residents say they are concerned about the break-ins.

"Unfortunately, what this indicates is that you have one or more people in the area committing these burglaries," said Linda Ure, a Luna'apono Place resident. "They arrest folks for these (burglaries), but pretty soon there is someone else that comes along and takes their place."

Police arrested a 27-year-old man on April 18 and a 30-year-old woman April 23 in connection with three of the burglaries, but they were released pending further investigation. Neither the man nor the woman had prior criminal convictions, police said. Investigators were able to link the pair to three burglaries, but they have not been charged, and the investigation continues.

Neither lives on the Windward side and both listed Honolulu addresses.

The two were arrested after a retired Honolulu police lieutenant saw the man fleeing a neighbor's yard and asked him to stop, police said. The man ran away, however. The retired officer then saw a woman in a parked car start to drive off. He ordered her to stop, at which point he demanded her ID and ordered her to stay put.

Police officers arriving at the scene found two jewelry boxes and an Apple laptop computer in the back seat of her car, police said. Neither items belonged to her, police said.

Both were arrested on suspicion of second-degree burglary, a class-C felony. If convicted, they face up to five years in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Kailua residents were informed of the string of burglaries at the most recent Neighborhood Board meeting.

"Everybody gets concerned because they want to feel safe in their home," said Lawrence R. Bartley, a mechanical engineer and a Kailua Neighborhood Board member.

"It's a personal violation, and it's unusual for us to have home burglaries," said Katherine M. Bryant-Hunter, a Kailua Neighborhood Board member. "Police have been very responsive, and we continue to advocate for increased police resources for the area."

PAST BREAK-INS

The 18 break-ins represent the second string of burglaries in Kailua in the past eight months.

In November, police arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with eight business burglaries from last May through the end of September, police said. His arrest was on suspicion of eight counts of second-degree burglary.

In each burglary, the thief stole loose change, bills and other small items but never made off with more than $200, police said. Several of the businesses sustained damage to windows and doors, police said.

For years, O'ahu's property crime rate, including burglary, has been significantly higher than comparably sized Mainland jurisdictions.

In 2003, for example, the city's property crime rate was higher than that of San Francisco, San Diego and Las Vegas, cities that are used by the Honolulu Police Department as benchmarks for budget and staffing issues.

Property crimes fell in 2005, the most recent year for which FBI statistics are available. The number of burglaries in Honolulu dropped in 2005 to 6,208 from 7,240 in 2004.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.