Thursday’s story about a Beacon Hill resident who traced her stolen car and that of a neighbour was probably inspiring particularly to victims of vehicle theft. She found both and led police to the location, where they arrested three suspects.
What this woman did was undoubtedly gutsy, although not without risk. Authorities were aware and her best move might have been to alert officers rather than confront the persons onsite.
In addition to being brave, she apparently knew where to look, which is hardly the case for many motorists. Thieves better think twice before they target her in the future.
However, not everyone is that streetwise and people can get in serious trouble by taking matters into their own hands when crimes occur. Again, this situation seemed to have been handled well and had a happy ending, but a word of caution is still in order.
Generally, so-called “vigilante justice” should be discouraged because of the significant danger and a real possibility of actually making prosecution and sentencing more difficult, especially if rights of defendants are violated.
In short, police work is usually best left to them.
