Please click here to download a "No Trick or Treat" poster which you can stick on your door.
Nottinghamshire Police are taking extra measures to ensure any spooky and late-night behaviour remains within the law.
Safer Neighbourhood Officers will be getting ready for Halloween by working with businesses, schools and resident groups in an effort to reduce any anti-social behaviour.
Initiatives will include high-visibility patrols at key times, restricting the sale of eggs and flour to teenagers, issuing advice letters to individuals who committed anti-social behaviour last year, and distributing crime prevention posters and leaflets.
The Police are also urging trick-or-treaters not to become a menace and to think carefully and responsibly about the doors they knock on.
Anyone wishing to trick-or-treat should follow a few simple rules:
- Children should always go trick-or-treating with an adult.
- Keep to areas that are well lit with streetlights, or take a torch.
- Stay with your friends - don't split into smaller groups unless an adult goes with you.
- Choose a costume which does not restrict a child's movement or sight.
- Consider using face-paint as an alternative to a face-mask, as masks can limit a child's vision, which could pose a danger when crossing roads.
- Reiterate the importance of good behaviour to children, to avoid a nuisance to residents.
- Don't knock on doors where there is a "No Trick or Treat" sign.
- Don't enter any house - stay on the doorstep.
- Be careful not to frighten vulnerable people, especially the elderly.
- Never throw items like eggs and flour. This is not a trick and can cause a great deal of damage and misery. In addition it can be classed as criminal damage, or even assault, and a night of "fun" could end up with you in trouble with the police.