Hallowe'en advice from police

Michaela I imagine it is a beautiful setting where you live, a bit like the nice quiet streets of the USA where they love halloween and really put on a show and dress up to get candy, somewhere like the streets of "Desperate Housewives"?
But some areas of the island are rife with local idiots who see it as a way to bully home owners and terrorise the neighbourhood, as they are only "Trick or Treating".. Same as fireworks night, it is one night only, yet fireworks are being set off for weeks beforehand by idiots out on the streets at all hours of day and night. May sound great listening to big bangs, but you try keeping two dogs and 3 cats from being scared witless over a 3 week period, it aint good.

Where we live there is a lovely atmosphere with lots of families out as soon as it is dark. There seems to be an unwritten rule around here that you only go to houses that are either displaying a pumpkin out the front or have some other spooky related item that shows they are willing for visitors. Many of the houses we visit have people dressed up who give out the treats and my children love it!

Richard, you say "It's only one day a year"
Can I come over on say April 16th 2013 and throw eggs at your house and car and splatter paint and graffiti over your walls if you do not come out and give me some chocolate?
Is that ok with you and your family? Then after I have left your garden I shall move on to your neighbours, if you are lucky and have had the guts to come out and tell me to leave, I may even return with some friends later on as you sleep and drop dog poop through your letterbox.
Is that ok for me just doing it "one day a year"?
Excellent.

I can understand elderly people being nervous about answering the door at night but must admit that we rather enjoy the event. It's only one day a year and the couple of groups of children who normally call have usually gone to a fair bit of effort to dress for the occasion and look really cute. We get in a couple of packs of chocolate bars and share these out to a chorus of thank yous

Best advice I can give is- Stay in, lock your doors and sheds, hide your car, turn lights out and do not answer the door or twitch your curtains.
One night of the year when idiots can legally harass people and make their lives a misery all for the sake of "FUN".
Superb, because we love coming out in the morning to find local cars covered in egg and scratches where people climb over them, and shop windows broken, flour all over the place, plants pulled out of gardens, etc etc, maybe adults should have a night when they can terrorise strangers kids by smashing their computers and play stations and mobile phones? See how they like it?

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