When it comes to improving and fixing anything, it is never the big things that get missed.

When remodeling a home, it’s easy to focus on the new floors, appliances and the paint job. You also don’t forget about the landscaping or windows.

No, it’s never the big things. It’s always the little things.

It’s the small electrical issues that crop up or the leak that drips every so often.

But it is those problems, those little things, that add up, creep up and lead to larger and far more expensive problems down the road.

The same could be said for what we have seen in the recent uptick in juvenile crime in Vicksburg.

The headlines lately have been grabbed by two horrific and tragic murders. In each case, a teenager was killed. And, in each case, a teenager has been charged with the murder.

But below those headlines, below the spotlight, has been an increase in smaller crimes, property crimes and other incidents involving juveniles.

It is for these reasons why Mayor George Flaggs Jr.’s move this week to reinstate a juvenile curfew in the city of Vicksburg was the right move and the right time. Something had to be done and this was a tool in the city’s toolbox to address the problem.

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city had a similar curfew and the results were positive. It was the hope of everyone that when that curfew was lifted that it would not be needed again.

It was needed and thankfully reinstated.

It is our hope the curfew is effective, cuts down on the incidents involving our youth.

But this situation also shows the importance of addressing smaller problems when it comes to curtailing crime in our community.

Maybe there are other, smaller problems that could also be addressed. Take for instance the noise in our community.

Streets and neighborhoods that should be quiet at night have at times turned into dragstrips and areas where lack of a muffler or the addition of glass packs is a sign of masculinity.

Maybe this should be the next “little thing” that can be addressed by the city and local law enforcement.

Remember, it’s never the big things. It’s the little things.