That seems to be a feature of bad neighborhoods, and one of the contributors to what makes it bad. The "good" neighborhoods tend to have people willing to call the police when they see things that look out of place. When my neighbor goes on vacation I look out for his place. When I go on vacation he looks out for mine.Just further evidence that we, as a society, have so much crime because crime is so tolerated in wide swathes of our society. Can you imagine this burglary taking place in an area with neighbors involved and willing to make a stand for each other? To *at least* call 911 and report suspicious activity leading up the buglary? It'd be nigh impossible. Cops will get the blame, but until the general citizenry is ready to intervene with a least a 'hue and cry' and then cooperate as witnesses, cops are well behind the power curve.
You've no idea how many Murders are 'solved' but can't be cleared or prosecuted because known witnesses didn't see nuffin...
Probably a lot of factors go into why some neighborhoods don't have that.