Appears I might have been ahead of my time. Some years ago, as on off duty PC, I witnessed an aggravated theft, it occurred right in front of me while out shopping with my wife.
Big youth sees small youth riding a decent (pedal) bike; big youth grabs and threatens small youth and demands the bike, there's a scuffle, small youth was dismounted by big youth and thrown to ground, big youth rides off on the bike with small youth in pursuit shouting "he's nicked my bike".
I was out shopping with my wife, my action was instinctive, I ran after the big youth on the bike, as it happened within 50 yards I ran past my parked car. Accepting there was every chance I couldn't maintain the pursuit on foot I dived into the car. I followed big youth into a housing estate, after few hundred yards and a coupe turns the youth wasn't for stopping, he knew who I was and that I was after him, so I used my car to dismount him. I got out of the car, we had a "little scuffle" in the middle of the road; a neighbour called the police and I sat on top the youth until the police van arrived.
When we arrived back at the nick, my regular sergeant was working an overtime shift in the custody suite, he was delighted to see me bring in a customer on my day off, he was quick to take full credit for the incident because "he had trained me so well"
The youth was known to us, lifting him for this theft lead us to find several more nicked bikes, all obtained to fund drug use, also put us in touch with a couple of his associates and we even got a small time local drug dealer out of it.
The youth was bruised but not significantly harmed by my actions, the circumstances of his arrest were fully reported and never questioned; viewed by my seniors as a justified means to an end.
There are complex reasons behind the nature of today's problem which need dealing with but for which there does not appear to be a quick fix in terms of the causes. However operation Venice is, in my opinion, a justified means to an end in apprehending criminals in a way that hopefully serves as a deterrent in respect of a particular type of crime which become common place.