And I don’t think a random “bad guy” would stop in the process of what they was doing if they are a determined one. Especially if faced by a loose pup lol.
Each to their own; but nothing wrong with using a crate and crate training a pup, If a pup is in the destructive stage and you need to be out the house for a certain period of time. Better than a destructive pup finding live wires and chewing on etc.
My 3year old has full access of the house when I pop out now as he is not destructive anymore. My 1year old is crated and will free roam the house when mellowed down at a later stage. It helps eliminate any bad habits like chewing on furniture or anything life threatening where you cannot control if you aren’t at homing watching.