Inspector Paul Arnold

We’ve just seen the completion of one of the busiest periods of the year for the police in Telford, a time of year that is often called ‘Mischief Fortnight’ by the press.

This is the two week period which encompasses both Halloween and Bonfire Night, writes acting Chief Inspector Paul Arnold, from the police command team in Telford.

Traditionally this period, with its darker evenings, sees a rise in calls to the police with regard to anti-social behaviour – behaviour that can range from over enthusiastic ‘trick-or-treating’ at one end of the spectrum, to the illegal use of fireworks at the other.

Our overwhelming desire at this time of year is to ensure everyone has a good time in a safe manner that doesn’t negatively affect other people. Whilst teenagers and younger children love Halloween and Bonfire Night, many elderly people get anxious, with lots of callers in strange (and sometimes scary) costumes and the seemingly constant explosions of fireworks. What one group considers fun the other perceives as disorderly behaviour.

Ahead of, and during ‘Mischief Fortnight’, the Local Policing Teams around Telford undertook a wide range of activities to educate children about their safety when ‘trick-or-treating’ and the need to act responsibly whilst out and about, considering the feelings of others. This involved Local Policing Officers and Community Support Officers visiting and talking to children at their schools.

We also increased patrols during the evenings throughout the period in order to deter criminal and anti-social behaviour. Activity has continued with ‘Clean Sweep’ operations taking place in Donnington and Ketley Bank which has seen the Local Policing Team and partner organisations, such as the council and Wrekin Housing Trust, addressing anti-social behaviour and associated environmental issues during the build up to the Donnington Bonfire.

This event, which is the largest public event in Telford’s calendar, takes place this forthcoming Saturday night. In order to ensure that it passes safely the Local Policing Team has been actively involved in its planning and will be on duty on the night.

I’m pleased to report that so far we have seen a reduction in the number of anti-social behaviour incidents reported over the period in comparison with last year, which is good news for us all I’m sure you’ll agree.

Bonfire Night may have only just passed but along with most of you we are already looking ahead to Christmas.

The weekends leading up to Christmas are some of the busiest nights of the year for us and the other emergency services as the party season gathers pace.

As in previous years we will again be running Operation Christmas Presence, where there will be significantly more officers on patrol than usual in order to deter and deal with the usual rise in alcohol related crime and disorder. Once more our aim is to ensure everyone can have a good time in a safe environment.

To ensure this happens, extra officers will be patrolling the borough’s many night-spots during the Christmas and New Year celebrations and we will be working closely with the licensing authority and local licensees to ensure party-goers can enjoy themselves without fear of trouble.

Please remember that Telford is generally a safe place to live, work and socialise and, by deploying our staff in operations as described above, we intend to make sure it stays that way.