Helping everyone to have a fun and safe Halloween

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Halloween is a night of spooky spectacles and innocent fun for many children and families. For others however, including the elderly and vulnerable, it can sometimes be a great cause of worry and distress.

To help make Halloween trick or treat celebrations enjoyable for everyone, Buckinghamshire Council and Thames Valley Police are once again encouraging residents who do not want Halloween callers knocking on their door to display a poster in their front windows.

The poster indicates that trick or treaters should not call at that property. The poster can be freely downloaded and printed.

Residents without access to a printer can request a poster by calling 01494 586535.

Steve Bowles, Cabinet Member for Communities, said:

“I hope children and their families enjoy a frightfully fabulous Halloween, but I would ask that people planning to go trick or treating look out for the posters and be considerate of others. If you see a poster in a window, just walk on to the next property, that way everyone can enjoy the evening safely.”

Steve added: “Sadly a very small minority of people use trick or treating as an excuse to commit anti-social behaviour. Luckily cases are generally few and far between but if you spot something, you can report it to Thames Valley Police on 101. In an emergency, or if a crime is in progress, please call 999.”

For those concerned about Halloween, the advice is:

  • Don’t open your door if you are unsure who is there. Use a spy hole or look out of a window and use your door chain if you do decide to open your door.
  • Have a contact number of a close relative or good neighbour to hand in case you need to phone them.
  • If you are part of a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, let your coordinator know you will be on your own at Halloween. If you are a coordinator, please identity people in your scheme who may be vulnerable and offer them reassurance.

There are a range of fun Halloween events happening across the county. Details of these can be found online.