Keeping you safe this ‘spooktacular’ Halloween and ‘sparkling’ Bonfire Night this year

Message from Humberside Police:

Last year, Halloween and Bonfire Night looked very different, with organised events cancelled and the public urged to stay indoors and away from those outside of their household.

To the delight of many, that is not the case this year, and whilst not all organised events are back up and running yet, people will be able to make once again most of the occasions with friends and family.

This period is always one of our busiest, and understandably this year we expect it to be busier than last, due to more people being out and about. However, we would like to offer reassurance to those who are looking to enjoy Halloween and Bonfire Night or those that prefer not to, and a stark reminder to those intent of causing harm or committing offences, that we are out in force and ready to act against anyone spoiling others’ fun.

Superintendent Matt Peach said: “You will see a clear police presence on patrol in and around your neighbourhood over this period. We really want everyone to enjoy themselves, but we will be there to ensure we deal with any incidents quickly.

“Not everyone wants to celebrate occasions such as Halloween. Some vulnerable people can be particularly anxious at this time of year, so I would ask that those that are celebrating are respectful of their neighbours and don’t intentionally try to frighten or intimidate them.

“For those who would rather not have trick or treaters visit their home, you can download our poster to display on your front doors or windows. I would ask parents and guardians to explain this to their children and make sure they don’t knock on these doors.

“We will take an absolute zero tolerance approach when it comes to anyone deliberately looking to harm others enjoying the occasions. This includes not only blatant criminal offending, but those being anti-social such as taunting or intimidating people, or throwing things at people, their houses or cars.

“We also have a poster for shops to display in their windows about the sale of items such as flour and eggs, which are commonly purchased by young people to use anti-socially on Halloween. We would encourage local shops to put these up and consider who they are selling these types of items to, as this will help to keep anti-social behaviour to a minimum.

“As the nights get darker, it is usual for us to see crimes such as burglary and theft rise, particularly if houses and vehicles are unattended whilst you go trick or treating, to gatherings or firework displays. Not locking doors or windows is the number one way to prevent offences of this nature, but for further crime prevention advice on protecting your home or protecting your vehicle, visit our website.

“Most importantly, we will be working hard with our partners such as the council, fire service and ambulance service to ensure everyone enjoys the Halloween and Bonfire Night period safely, and we will be there when you need us.”

If you need assistance at any point over this period, make sure you’re calling the right agency, as this means emergencies can be prioritised by us, fire and the ambulance service and your issue is being picked up by the correct team.

• For any incidents of crime or disorder – call our 101 number, direct message us via our official Humberside Police Facebook page or @humberbeat Twitter page or call 999 in an emergency
• For any incidents of fires, deliberate or otherwise – call the fire service on 999. Advice and guidance on how to enjoy firework displays safely at home can also be found on their website here
• For any incidents of fly tipping, excess noise or waste being left – call your local council who will pass you onto the relevant department