Crime is down along a stretch of Nu'uanu Stream in Chinatown, thanks to the removal of a few trellises that for many years harbored illegal activity, officials said yesterday.

The trellis structures, which used to shade clusters of tables and seats between Vineyard Boulevard and Beretania Street, were removed by city workers in May. Officials hoped the added exposure would drive drug dealers and gamblers away from the area.

Residents, business owners and police said the area is much safer now.

"It has helped. The immediate effect was that it displaced some of the people that were using that area to do drug dealing and gambling. We don't see that kind of activity occurring there anymore," said Maj. Clayton Saito of the Honolulu Police Department's District 1, which includes the Downtown area.

The project was prompted by excessive complaints from area residents and business owners, who said they were tired of feeling unsafe in their own neighborhood.

"The gambling, drinking and drug dealing were big problems here for everybody," said Judy Lee Kona, who has lived Downtown for more than two decades.

Kona said the areas surrounding Nu'uanu Stream have improved now that criminals "can't hide there anymore."

Saito described the removal of the trellises as a simple solution that has had a remarkable effect in making the area safer.

"Without community support, the trellises would have stayed up," he said.

"For the longest time, we've been programmed to think that you have to send police in there to solve those problems, but this shows community involvement is more important," Saito said.

A manager of local eatery Royal Kitchen, who asked to be referred to as Mrs. Lau out of concern for her safety, said she is thankful that the trellises have been removed.

"We used to call the police once a week when fights would break out among the dealers, but it's been much better lately," she said. She said she has not had to call the police since the trellises came down.

Lau said drug dealers would often enter her take-out restaurant, especially to hide from police officers making their rounds. Dealers would also occupy some of the parking spaces behind the restaurant, leaving few spaces open for customers, Lau said.

"I've been watching this for more than 10 years," she said. "It's really had a detrimental effect on my business."

With recent improvements, many of the dealers who frequented the area have left, Lau said.

"They come around occasionally, but they don't stay, because there's no place for them to hang around like they used to," she said. "I'm happy, too, because now I have parking for customers."

The improvements around Nu'uanu Stream are part of a larger city effort to clean up Chinatown and make it attractive to residents and tourists, said Gavin Kuwata, a city road labor supervisor.

Since Thursday, Kuwata and a crew of workers have been trimming the bougainvillea plants that hang into the stream along River Street. They hope the trimming will make it easier for police to see what is happening across the river, as well as remove some of the trash that has become caught in the plants, Kuwata said.