Of course, no one in their right mind would go racing into a situation without a working understanding of the situation; that's just crazy.
But in the next breath, he indicates that he WOULD get involved if he witnessed the event.
I see the bottom line as, if you didn't witness it, you're too late to intervene.
So, in a way, he is a sheepdog, keeping watch over his flock. He just doesn't have a full understanding of the concept.