I recently heard that something like 97% of bank robbers are caught within a week after the robbery. This makes me wonder: what percentage of would-be robbers are actually aware of this stat? If more of them knew how bad their odds are, would the number of robberies go down?

I’d be very curious to see what would happen if banks decided to put up theft deterrent signs. Just print up signs that say something like this: “Thinking of robbing this bank? There’s a 97% chance you’ll be caught and end up in jail.” Maybe this isn’t the traditional way of reducing crime. But perhaps that’s all the more reason to give it a try.