If you hope to get any action taken you have to have cameras. High quality cameras put in places that license plates and pics of the thieves can be taken. Here, the police, if they don't have plates will post the incident on local internet news apps. Pics go out everywhere, and typically the thieves are caught quickly if there is enough on pics to catch faces and vehicles. We have theft still but these guys get caught where video/pics are available. That works here, certainly not everyone has it this good (if you can call it that) small enough area that the police can actually do something about thefts like this and are willing to. However without any pics you have next to no chance of stopping the thefts or getting your stuff back.
As far as knocking someone down. It sounds good and feels good to write it on the internet, but not so good going through the process after the fact. Even in areas that are more conservative, the process can be very expensive and your future freedom is at risk. Some areas of the US, the suspect has more rights than you do it seems. It can be a huge roll of the dice, with you breaking rock at the State Penn as a result when you roll snake eyes. The facts are unless you or someone else is being attacked or threatened in a way that justifies deadly force, it is not worth it. Having your rights read to you for homicide (no matter how right you may think you are) is a sobering moment, batteries, fuel, tires even a $300k machine wont seem worth it.....and it may not be.
