 Some towns did not have any permanent police force, only visited every few months by some troops to collect malcontents, leaving criminals to operate with impunity in the interim.Compounding these problems was banditry; rising food prices, the loss of public and church lands, and the loss of feudal commons pushed many desperate peasants to steal.In the face of rising crime, booming commerce, and inefficient authorities, property owners turned to extralegal arbitrators and protectors.