The authorities are becoming more of a danger than any criminal as well. This is shown directly with assets stolen under civil forfeiture rules being greater than assets stolen by criminals in the US. Anecdotally, even in the bad neighborhoods I've lived in where I wouldn't go outside at night, the worst I would expect from a criminal is a mugging or beating. With cops I have to worry about that as well as being put in jail and possibly having my life ruined depending on what they decide to charge me with.
I don't really see the cops or FBI as defending me or anyone else from criminals. At this point they are just one group of criminals fighting other groups of criminals for dominance
Saying that cops only go after criminals and their associates is a view that can only exist in ignorance of the mountain of evidence showing the opposite