Crime in Prospect Heights and other "safe" areas

I've noticed some disturbing trends walking around the neighborhood. Specifically, when walking down Carlton Avenue to catch the B/Q or down Dean between Vanderbilt and Carlton (or any number of blocks in the area) at night, I have noticed several youths on bikes and on foot going car to car trying to find unlocked doors/cars to break into. I had to call the police on one such group a couple of months ago (when I was on the other block and out of sight), but the the perps were long gone before the police showed up. Otherwise, these individuals (some of them followed me and another walker on the otherwise side of the street last week for a block or two) are very unsettling. Note, during the time of night that I see such activities (normally between 10pm-1am), homeowners are typically inside and there is little foot traffic on the streets where this occurs, which is one reason why the people are so emboldened. And, especially along Carlton and some side streets, there isn't such great lighting; the NYPD did confirm that there was a problem with car break-ins in the area when I was riding around with them trying to locate the perps I saw months ago.