The situation is improved by telling people that "yes, thieves actually exist and stealing causes real harm". People who have not experienced harassing tend to downplay it à la "Well I haven't seen it happen", "It can't be that bad" etc.
How is it improved? Will the thieves stop stealing if they know it causes real harm? Will the trolls/psychopaths stop harassing if they know it's really that bad? What if that's what they want?
The situation is improved by other people knowing there's a problem. The other people will pay more attention to spot thieves and try to stop them. The point is to make society less welcoming for thieves.
