That sucks - but I get that this happens in the denser populated areas. We are fortunate to live on a private lane with access restricted to residents and temporary visitors. Oh and the myriad of daily UPS/Fed Ex/Purolator delivery dudes. The plants themselves are a good distance from the laneway so ne'er-do-wells can't see them. But if we lived in Suburbia, I wouldn't grow outdoors either.
An old neighbor, who moved from this lane to the burbs of the small town of Lindsay, ON, had his 3 outdoor plants pinched last September. They ripped a hole in his chain link and off they went with his efforts. No personal violence fortunately - but he didn't wanna take that chance this year so he never planted anything in the spring.