AN ANNUAL campaign to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour around Halloween and Bonfire Night has been launched.
With anti-social behaviour a common theme around these two events, St Helens Council has launched the 'Be a Good Guy' campaign, alongside the police and fire service, to make the community feel as safe as possible.
The campaign particularly aims to prevent nuisance fires, anti-social behaviour and damage to the environment, while also educating people around the laws and consequences of such behaviour.
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Halloween is an event that many residents look forward to, but for some, the prospect of people knocking on their door all night is not an enjoyable one - especially for older or vulnerable people.
With older and vulnerable people often worried about door knocks around Halloween, the council has designed cards that can be printed off to indicate whether they are happy to participate in trick or treating. This can be found here.
The council will also work alongside Torus and the fire service to remove the source of unsafe nuisance fires from public land, with regular checks confirmed to be in check at alley gates in priority areas
Local retailers will also be discouraged from selling eggs and flour to young people in the days before Bonfire Night, while briefings have been shared with pubs and other venues with guidance on how to properly manage waste and to hold fireworks events safely.
The borough's main fireworks display on bonfire night will take place at Saints' stadium on Saturday, November 4 and Sunday, November 5. There will also be the Prescot & Odyssey event in Eccleston, as well as a display at Rainford Scouts.
Councillor Mancyia Uddin, St Helens Council's Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, said: "We want everyone to enjoy the Halloween and Bonfire Night festivities as safely as possible, and with respect for our neighbours.
"By working with our community safety partners through Good Guy we're supporting our communities to be more resilient to crime and antisocial behaviour."
During the Bonfire period last year, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service removed 54 tonnes of materials from the streets of Merseyside that could have been used to start a fire, including wood, mattresses and rubbish.
This collection of bonfire waste is still available until Friday, November 3.
Mick Currin, Station Manager for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, added: “It’s really important for us to work with our partners, including the council and Merseyside Police. By working together we can reduce the impact of the bonfire season on our community in St Helens Borough.
“Residents can be a really big help to us, by reporting fly-tipping to us or the council, avoiding putting out additional waste for collection and by not leaving bins and recycling containers out longer than necessary, all of which will help to reduce the anti-social behaviour and fire-setting that delays us getting to genuine incidents.
“We would encourage parents and guardians to know what their children are doing on the evenings running up to Bonfire Night, and for the minority of young people to realise the impact of their anti-social behaviour on the resources of emergency services and the wider community.”
Merseyside Police has also urged the public to be cautious and think again before holding a firework display at home.
Officers said that they will not hesitate to issue Dispersal Zones and make arrests if reports of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage take place over the period.
Combustible material that could be used for deliberate fires can be reported here.
Fly-tipped waste can be reported to the council for clearance here.
Underage firework sales can be reported to Trading Standards by email to tradingstandards@sthelens.gov.uk or by calling the council's Contact Centre on 01744 676789.
Antisocial behaviour can be reported to Merseyside Police on the non-emergency 101 number, or via Facebook and Twitter at @MerPolCC. To report a crime, always contact 999 in an emergency.
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