Number of crimes reported over Halloween drops

The findings, which have been welcomed by officers in Newtownabbey, have been attributed to a police campaign which ran in the weeks leading up to the school holidays.

Chief Inspector Stephen Reid said: “The Halloween period has traditionally resulted in an increase on demands for police attendance at calls in relation to anti-social behaviour, with occasional injury to persons due to reckless misuse of fireworks.

“We initiated a six-week campaign starting before Halloween to promote the need for safety.”

“Everything we do is focussed on keeping people safe. We believe that our operations achieved that this year. We will not be complacent however, and we appreciate any positive feedback or contribution that can help us for future major seasonal events.”

Officers visited 10 post-primary schools in the Antrim and Newtownabbey region in the run-up to the event, where they addressed the important issues associated with Halloween, including giving a talk on firework safety.

Officers also conducted a graduated campaign safety on social media.

The police worked with the council and bins and bottle banks were removed over the crucial holiday period, as these had previously been targeted with bangers.

Chief Inspector Reid added: “We appreciate that some incidents did still take place, and we will be looking at these with our community partners to see what we can learn for next year.”