> Most casual crime is opportunistic, and cameras and lights add uncertainty to the opportunity. Most people aren't willing to chance the camera for an opportunistic score.

People have been stealing things from stores which have had cctv for decades. Your premises are manifestly false.

It's a good thing I don't live in a store, then

Sure, theft still happens, but I don't see why home theft wouldn't be reduced by the presence of CCTV or other video surveillance.

CCTV doesn't work well when people feel like nobody is going to bother to check its footage (e.g. pocketing a $2 drink from a big-box department store). But when it comes to homes, there are much higher chances of captured footage being used and examined, so it may cause opportunistic burglars to look at other houses instead.

The question isn’t whether people EVER steal when there is a camera, the question is whether they will still LESS.

Just because something doesn’t work 100% of the time doesn’t mean it can’t be effective.