[LibTeeth]

Even worse, theft and robbery also has a social cost in that it increases transaction costs at all levels as effort at maintaining security divert effort from production. High trust cultures are always more productive, in effect they have less economic friction, more risk taking entrepreneurial behavior, and lower thresholds or barriers to production.

On the control side, the 911 mentality(order protection as a service like takeout pizza) creates enough dead time in the feedback loop to prevent stable control. The seperation of detection of a crime, from the moral basis and authority to act always leaves plenty of room for predators to operate. Efforts at increasing detection (surveillance) or amplifying the forcing function (punishment) do not address the deadtime issue that is at the heart of this form of instability in a feedback based control system. More police also may not do it as the time and space requirments for some of the worst crimes are so small and short. There's no substitute for a well-armed victim in deterring crime.

[TC Rider]

There's no substitute for a well-armed victim in deterring crime.

Indeed. I've read a report that most burglarlys in UK are at night when the victims are home, while in the US, most are in daylight, while victims are at work. When there is no risk, why not go for the wallet and credit cards.

[IronJack]

A well-articulated perspective, one I had not heard before.

[supercat]

Efforts at increasing detection (surveillance) or amplifying the forcing function (punishment) do not address the deadtime issue that is at the heart of this form of instability in a feedback based control system.

As crime rates go up, the risk to criminals from police goes down. Absent an armed citizenry, this leads to a dangerous feedback loop.