When authorities ignore some laws they create disrespect for laws in general.
If the government is selective about enforcing some laws but not all laws that is a signal that lawbreaking is okay.
When people know they can break some laws they tend to push the envelope and gradually ignore more and more laws.
Rudy Guilliani had a philosophy something like this:
"Disrespect for small things and small laws leads to disrespect for all things and all laws."
Not a direct quote by any means but true to his philosophy of governance.
He believed that if small rules of behavior and small laws were not enforced people lost respect for all rules and laws.
When he was became mayor of NY City in 1964 the town was a disaster area.
The incumbent mayor, Democrat David Dinkins, had not enforced basic laws and New York in the early 1990's was on its way to becoming something like the San Francisco of 2019.
Steets were dirty, buildings run down, subway cars covered with graffiti, porn shops and porn movie theaters were drowning Times Square, crime was high and going higher.
As mayor Guilliani began enforcing the small laws and reasserting standards and rules of behavior.
In a relatively short period of time he cleaned up the mess Dinkins had left.