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Police patrols increased for Halloween
1:04pm Tuesday 23rd October 2007
Comments (31)Police are warning trick or treaters that throwing eggs and flour could be considered criminal damage or assault.
Croydon police and Croydon Council launched a new initiative to deal with antisocial behaviour during Halloween and Bonfire Night on Friday.
“Halloween and Bonfire Night should be a time for celebration and fun but unfortunately for a small minority this time of year is often used as an excuse for intimidating behaviour and striking fear into the elderly community.”
Inspector Peter Salter
The initiative will see an increase in police patrols throughout the borough.
Safer Neighbourhood Teams will visiting shops to ask them to be wary of selling eggs and flour to teens in the weeks before Halloween.
Officers are also advising trick or treaters to only go out with an adult, stay in well lit areas and only visit the homes of people they know.
Police are also warning acts of vandalism such as throwing eggs could lead to stiff penalties.
Inspector Peter Salter, of Croydon police, said: "Halloween and Bonfire Night should be a time for celebration and fun but unfortunately for a small minority this time of year is often used as an excuse for intimidating behaviour and striking fear into the elderly community."
Police and trading standards officers will be visiting shops selling fireworks to check their licenses, and making checks to ensure stores are not selling alcohol to under-18s.
Councillor Steve O'Connell, deputy leader of Croydon Council, said: "A well organised public firework display or small private party can be enjoyable for all the family but in the wrong hand fireworks can be a danger and a nuisance."
Your Say YourCroydon Guardian
Paul, Upper Norwood says...
2:32pm Tue 23 Oct 07
Get hoolivans out in the neighbourhoods and protect private housing for a change.
Let's make sure that acts of vandalism do lead to stiff penalties rather than 'could'.
Halloween = another unwanted import from America for our mindless morons to indulge in.
V.K, Croydon says...
4:25pm Tue 23 Oct 07
I enjoy the dressing up and going to partys!
I dont go round throwing eggs and flour, i do agree that there should be extra police for the chavs out there that wana mess everything up if it wasnt for them we wudnt have to have the extra police!
Bob, Cheam says...
5:26pm Tue 23 Oct 07
Paul, Upper Norwood says...
7:58am Wed 24 Oct 07
Croyboy, says...
8:08am Wed 24 Oct 07
Sean, Croydon says...
9:47am Wed 24 Oct 07
Teams will visiting shops to ask them to be wary of selling eggs and flour to teens in the weeks before Halloween.Woe betide any kid wanting to do some baking or make some pastry shapes with mum. There has got to be more meaningful tasks for the local teams to undertake than hounding young Atora criminals?
Peter, Brum says...
1:37am Thu 25 Oct 07
The answer is England. Back in the the dark ages the poplace were very supersticious but on the night of All Souls day the one day of the year when the souls left purgatory and went to heaven. Then the people would go to church to pray that the witches did not way lay a soul if they did they would put it on their shoulders and call it a familiar.
When the church annoucnbed all the souls had got to heaven safely the villages would have a party.
It got dark early so they lit candles in paper lanterns and because witches are miserable people the villages cut happy faces into melons left over from the harvest festival and placed them on the edges of the party.
The villages knew that witches live in the hall of between all year but come out on all souls day if they fail to catch a soul then a living one would do and so the villages would shout "Go back to the Hall of Between" at every suspicious noise.
So over the years that got corrupted to Hall o' ween. So when the little bleeders come trick and treating just shout "Halloween" and slam the door.
Croyboy, says...
8:23am Thu 25 Oct 07
ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
9:23am Thu 25 Oct 07
Agreed, London says...
2:34pm Thu 25 Oct 07
Paul wrote:Totally agreed...
Let's hope that Inspector Peter Salter remembers that Z district covers more than the town centre. Get hoolivans out in the neighbourhoods and protect private housing for a change. Let's make sure that acts of vandalism do lead to stiff penalties rather than 'could'. Halloween = another unwanted import from America for our mindless morons to indulge in.
Melonette, MelonLand says...
2:38pm Thu 25 Oct 07
Croyboy wrote:Amusing
"melons" in mediaeval England? ...Did they get them from Ye Olde Sainsburys?
ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
4:49pm Thu 25 Oct 07
Croyboy, says...
5:27pm Thu 25 Oct 07
Bob Peel, Croydon says...
11:17am Fri 26 Oct 07
ANNE GILES wrote:Did you know that the Arabic for Melon is Habhab?
Melons?? How about pumpkins? Delicious, but the English ones are not as nice as the ones in Argentina. I've just bought two miniature ones in Sainsbury's for our dinner.
Peter of Brum: Paul never suggested it came from anywhere. What Paul stated was that the 'Trick or Treat' nonsense came from the US .
ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
11:08pm Sat 27 Oct 07
Croyboy, says...
8:09am Mon 29 Oct 07
Great! I'm sure its a lot better than Croydon.
...So when are you going back there?
ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
10:36am Mon 29 Oct 07
ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
10:39am Mon 29 Oct 07
Croyboy, says...
8:40am Tue 30 Oct 07
ANNE GILES wrote:...But why did you bother to come back?
Was there in April - so next trip will be in two years' time - flights are too expensive, though a four star hotel is only around £60 a night.
ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
11:17am Tue 30 Oct 07
Croyboy, says...
5:25pm Tue 30 Oct 07
world can't manage without them. Then one day they're struck down by a coronary or run down by a lorry and...lo, albeit after a slight hiccup, things do carry on. So don't please don't let such trivial concerns deprive you of the heaven of the southern hemisphere.
ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
6:28pm Tue 30 Oct 07
Croyboy, says...
7:54am Wed 31 Oct 07
...It is one way, I take it?
ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
9:21am Wed 31 Oct 07
Bob Peel, Croydon says...
3:45pm Wed 31 Oct 07
Croyboy wrote:You were born in Buenos Aires Ms Giles?
Anne Giles write: "I come from Buenos Aires, thank goodness." Great! I'm sure its a lot better than Croydon. ...So when are you going back there?
The only contact we've ever had from the Argies, apart from a shipment of supperating corned beef in 1961 was in 1982.
Do you wear a poppy Ms Giles, will you be going to the Cenotaph in eleven days time?
I will be.
ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
3:52pm Wed 31 Oct 07
Bob Peel, Croydon says...
3:53pm Wed 31 Oct 07
ANNE GILES wrote:I offered a little extra knowledge for the board from my five years in Aden .
Did you know that the Spanish for Melon is Melon, with the accent on the "o"? Do I really need to know what the Arabic for Melon is? Does it really matter where anything comes from? I come from Buenos Aires, thank goodness.
My knowledge of Arabic served me well then; for yourself I would say you are ma rafi mukh.
Some one who claimes to be clever, big earner and cut above others would surely know what I have just written.
But for the rest of this board, who are perhaps more genuine than yourself, it means 'Small Minded.'
Bob Peel, Croydon says...
4:03pm Wed 31 Oct 07
Not what Carole Thatcher found when she visited Buenos Aires though?
She received a very hostile reception from a Nation that has neither forgotten nor forgiven.
One thing I do agree with is the memorial there for the Argentine dead with its constant mounted guard - at least the Argies honour their war dead constantly.
The war, whatever side you were on, was not silly. Especially to those who were there, or those who lost loved ones. Please consider that.
Croyboy, says...
5:21pm Wed 31 Oct 07
ANNE GILES wrote:That's par for the course, then: I've found that those who are always banging on about how marvellous their native countries are would never dream of actually living there!
Sorry - only a two week holiday - am coming back to grace you with my exhaulted presence! Won't that be nice for you? Consider yourself honoured, dear chap.
As for "The Falkland Islands were originally Argentine, anyway", they were - if anyone's - aboriginal property originally. It was also quite clear that Argentina wasn't capable of administering the territory it had, let alone trying to grab more - especially an area settled by those of 99% English origin. Furthermore, allow me to remind you that Galtieri, the instigator of "the silly war" in question, was a tin-pot dictator under whose watch some 30,000 of his own citizens disappeared - most tortured before being murdered. In fact, shortly after the general was deposed I met an Argentine gentleman who expressed his gratitude to Britain for getting rid of him. After all, when one looks at the history of that country, it does seem unlikely they would have managed it for themselves, doesn't it?
ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
10:02pm Wed 31 Oct 07
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Seymour Butts, Effingham says...
2:09pm Tue 23 Oct 07