When is Stealing not a Crime?

I suppose there are thieves everywhere but these days, they seem to be getting bolder. In America, a thief walked away from a jewelry store with a $16,000 ring and $1,000 wedding band and that was despite the presence of a surveillance camera. Back home, there was a similar case in 2015 where a young man ran away with a Lenovo mobile phone. He was caught and even after he confessed to stealing, he reportedly was hailed a hero. The second of the Buddhist Five Precepts for layman Adinnadana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami I undertake the precept to refrain from taking that which is not given clearly forbids stealing. In stealing, there ought to exist first, someone else’s belongings; second,  the awareness that something belongs to someone else;  third , the thought of stealing; fourth, the action of stealing; and fifth, the taking away as a result of stealing. Stealing most certainly is a crime even when one is not caught. That's contrary to what a lawmaker here said.