>They never get away.
This is false. I've personally watched los angeles based car chases where the person gets away even though there was a helicopter and units on the ground right behind him.
He was able to get underneath a lot of trees in a neighborhood, jump multiple fences in a row, and completely evaded the helicopter and police units on the ground.
Why do people like you make false statements like, "they never get away" when clearly people do? Do you live in some sort movie fantasy world where the "good guys always win"?
Anyways, running makes sense if you already have multiple felonys and/or know your crime is large enough to meet federal prosecution.
So that minor chance of getting away or out of that scenario is mighty appealing, and running could certainly be a reflex for many.
I think it's a cultural issue and criminals in the US are generally more extreme.
I think the official policy in car chases is follow them enough so they'll give up but public safety is always #1. If in doubt abort.
In Germany everyone is required by law to register their address within two weeks of moving. Not registering where you live and accompanying information, etc is illegal. If you move and someone else is now registered where you lived, you are no longer registered. You cannot really do very many things without that piece of paper including getting a SIM card or even renting a car without some difficulty.
So the police identify you and if you do something wrong they can just find you later, it's best if you catch the attention of the police you stop and deal with it. There is a much more relaxed attitude about law enforcement here, it's far more analytical and people generally avoid social disruption for the sake of. Rather than to avoid punishment. So it's social but it's the method of enforcement as well.
This means that the police presence has been cut down substantially, sometimes I can go a month without seeing a police officer.
Also, registering stuff like SIM cards on an address you are not registered at is also perfectly fine as that information is stricly for the state. The only interesting value for such companies to get hold from me is the Personalausweisnummer (id card number).
This might differ for outsiders as companies want a valid statement that you have an address here.
However, the german police is very good at finding people (and things), as there is a record on where most of your relatives live... Due to all that being rather complete, it works very well. I had a case where the police called my home number because my brothers car window was wide open on a parking lot in front of his house, 600km away. The police is forced to tow the car in that case, if they cannot reach someone. Also, cars are often tracked by paint. If someone flees in a car involved in a crash, the car can often be found, as paint is very unique to cars and locations (statistically). The databases for this are big and germans are generally okay with them.
There is sometimes a way to put screws on other people where possible. Example speeding: if someone speeds in a car, the registered owner will be asked first, even if the person on the picture is someone else. If the owner is unwilling to identify the person, restrictions might be put on him, e.g. writing a trip journal where he enters each and every trip and driver. Everyone wants to avoid that.
Also, germans prefer to game the system, not to wage war on it ;). Speeding is still rampant and there is a huge number of lawyers specialized on traffic laws that know all tricks to get you out of a ticket. Suing for a 40 Euro ticket is nothing unheard of.
