After decades of being indoctrinated with messages like "wait for the professionals" and "don't get involved" the answer, sadly, is YES! The problem with that is that the "professionals" exerptise is not in preventing crime, but enforcing the laws.
Interestingly enough I DIDN'T get scolded for intervening in that incident.
It's all about creating two classes of citizens: the ruling elites and their guards; and the peasants.
In all fairness, I doubt the police officer who was making 27k a year is a ruling elite. The man probably just didn't want to see a law abiding citizen be harmed by the perp. Let's not go overboard.