How can you catch a thief getting into your house when locks alarms surviellance will not work?

You don't want to. Statistically, it is rare that the thief is a professional. If he were, he would not be breaking in to your home when you were there. Most burglaries are committed by someone desperate to get hold of anything to pawn - usually to fund a drug habit. These people are scared, emotional and erratic. If you confront them, you might just get yourself killed. The smart thing to do is to call 911 and get out of the house if you can. Otherwise hide and wait for the cops.