But the wanton vandalism that has plagued the city’s central business district (CBD) and Thornton has now spread to the Rutherford Shopping Centre precinct.

Over recent weekends, Rutherford traders have reported windows and lights being smashed, graffiti being plastered over the sides of buildings, plants being up-rooted and displays being destroyed.

It is particularly disappointing given the amount of money that has been invested recently in reinventing what was once a fairly dingy part of the city.

The people of Rutherford are a proud bunch – and they were justifiably chuffed to have attracted the likes of Aldi to their new shopping centre.

According to Central Hunter duty officer Inspector Trevor Shiels, shopkeepers can be assured that the police are “maintaining a focus on crime in the area”.

Police do not have eyes in the backs of their heads.

They depend on information from members of the community.

It is well-known that some people are disenchanted with police – they believe it is no use reporting crime when the police take too long to respond to calls or fail to respond at all.

They believe that when the police do attend, little or nothing eventuates.

A similar situation occurred in Thornton.

Without the reportage of crime, without those statistics, it merely paves the way for politicians to claim that crime rates are going down.

In the case of Rutherford, Inspect Shiels said he had no reports of significant crime in the Rutherford shopping area recently.

It is understandable that the traders fear retaliation, but the police need our help to get on top of this problem.