But hasn't violent crime decreased? Other than incel-type shooters, but are Batman & Spider-Man going after those guys? A lot of anti-crime legislation is motivated by race, class, gender and other demographics, and fear of crime has been used as political propaganda to justify things like police brutality and lengthy prison sentences. Batman does go after guys like Joker or Penguin, who don't fit into that profile, but are their own thing so IMO it doesn't really connect to this kind of debate. But acting like bank robbers and such are filling the streets and need vigilantes who skirt the law to deliver swift justice seems more like something out of copaganda, at least to me. Those kinds of criminals should be dealt with, but should reflect
Tbf, some crimes are underreported and prosecuted, like sex crimes or crimes against minority groups, IIRC. Take, for instance, the missing and murdered Native American & Canadian women. There's a crime epidemic not taken seriously by police. Or how rampant sexual harassment has been for centuries yet not taken seriously enough. But that's not the kind of crimes I generally see street-level guys take, at least from what I've read. So I think superheroes seeking justice when police don't is still possibly valid, but now how it's been shown for decades.
Plus, it would be interesting to see guys like Batman or Spider-Man go after police, politicians, etc. who mistreat citizens like this.