Well, it may be a bit ott, but if the police did their job properly, it wouldn't happen, it only happens because people get away with what they are doing.
If the police put resources into busting crime that really mattered to people, instead of petty drugs busts, and petty shoplifting, it would improve matters.
I was in a shop not long ago, and someone was getting busted for changing a price label.
The police detained them 2 hours at the shop, I know because I went back, when they could have been doing real work, apprehending real criminals, not just very minor petty crime.
They pick on people who are easy to bust. It looks good on the figures, and also they are at businesses beck and call, the shops will let the police use 1000s of public money, just for tiny offences like that, whilst decent people are at the mercy of orgainised crime.
The balance is wrong, its politically and sociologically dictated, not by local decent people, who want a nice safe neighbourhood.
As an aside, I don't need evidence to tell me using a phone is unsafe, I have myself on the motorway, and texted, and will not again, it really is VERY dangerous, far more than talking, eating a mars bar, or even having a cigarette.
Vigilate's are only going to get worse for a couple of reasons:
media coverage pours petrol on the embers, and gives people ideas.
people's tolerance is becoming far less, and are getting very fed up
The police aren't doing their job, and the courts, so if the police won't, someone else will.