[comicjk]

Stopping a $200,000 theft might easily be worth $10 million, because a successful public theft does a lot more than $200,000 in damage to society. The point is to make the theft unprofitable and thus deter others. Having the thief confronted immediately with ridiculous force is expensive, but I could be persuaded that it makes more of an impression than letting him get away and catching him weeks later.