Prevalence rates for burglaries, household property damage and overall household offences significantly reduced further at the start of the pandemic.
Pope was most likely correct in thinking police would place his loss low on their priorities. His quick thinking however soon located where his credit cards had been presented and whose sticky fingers were on them.
Police now have a head start on the inquiry and he believes police are closing in on the young man responsible for this petty crime, and several others besides.
Earlier in the week, we also read about tradesman Braden Barker, who had his work tools pilfered.
In Barker's case, he simply searched online for similar tools and found his very ones, with his initials still marked on them, for sale on Marketplace. He was amazed at how brazen the offender was.
"There was no concern from the thief to hide his identity, scratch off my name, my initials on the tools," he said.
"There was no care from him at all. And it's obvious that he knows he can get away with it."
Sadly, property has gone unrecovered in both cases, which is a reminder that once things have been taken there's only a slim chance of getting them back.
Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers pointed out this week that some stolen items are recovered in search warrants, some are found for sale online, and some items are never recovered.
Thieves can move goods fast but, as Pope's case proved, victims can act quickly too and there must be a good sense of satisfaction in at least knowing who the culprit is, and passing that information to the police.
Naturally, the police warn against putting ourselves at risk by pursuing potentially desperate and dangerous criminals.
They also caution that confessions via social media may not be admissible in a court of law. And the last thing anyone offended against would want is to bungle a prosecution and let a crook go free.
There is the chance of being wrong and accusing innocent people of crimes, putting wannabe gumshoes at risk of police attention themselves for issuing threats or making false allegations.
There may also be a temptation to mete out punishment to those who may or may not be the perpetrators of crimes.
However, there's nothing wrong with "helping police with their inquiries". Just know your limits and be ready to hand over what you've learned to the proper authorities. All of us can contribute by reporting suspicious activity, allowing police to build up more informed wider pictures of offending around our communities.
As with any crime, prevention and insurance remain your best protections.
