Somebody tell me how many crimes cops have prevented versus just showing up afterwards and filling out the paperwork.
Oh that’s right, high-speed chases. But yet again, the high speed chase only occurred after the initial crime was committed.
So the real answer is probably less than one percent
I mean, this is kind of a specious argument.
A cop isn’t supposed to make an arrest before a crime is committed. And, if you count the crimes the criminal would have committed if not arrested and jailed, then, yes, a cop prevents crimes.
But I wouldn’t bet on the percentage.
Police are the lowest (in terms of professional knowledge and skill) form of historians and archaeologists.
Their job is, for the most part, recording the testimony of witnesses,
(just as a historian sifts ancient documents to arrive at the best description of past events)
and examining physical evidence of something that happened in the past,
(just as an archaeologist digs through an ancient trash midden or king’s tomb)
in order to determine who did what to whom, and (supposedly!) let the due process of the courts establish guilt (or not) and proper degree of punishment.
When a crime happens in front of you, YOU are the “first responder”.