THE number of emergency calls to Suffolk police rocketed at the weekend as some Hallowe'en celebrations got out of control.

THE number of emergency calls to Suffolk police rocketed at the weekend as some Hallowe'en celebrations got out of control.

But officers said they were pleased with the way most people conducted themselves as hundreds went trick-or-treating, or attended parties at clubs and bars.

The improved behaviour was evident in the 501 incidents attended by Suffolk Constabulary compared to last year's 564.

A total of 51 incidents were specifically attributed to Halloween on October 31, 2009 whereas this year, from 7am Sunday to 7am Monday (November 1), there were 44. Over the weekend there were also a number of events related to fireworks.

Insp Matt Rose said: 'It seems the majority of people heeded our advice to enjoy themselves, respect others and stay safe during Halloween. Extra officers were on patrol to provide resilience and additional reassurance to the public and children who went trick-or-treating.'

Staff in the main force control still had a busier than usual night on Saturday.

Insp Chris Wolton said: 'We were above average for the number of events on Saturday. We had 15 firework-related calls and eight that were directly associated with Hallowe'en.

'Another factor could have been the fact it was payday for a number of people.'

In one incident, trick or treaters attacked a disabled man in Corton Road, Ipswich, pushing him from his wheelchair and leaving him in need of hospital treatment. Most others attributed to Halloween consisted of low-level criminal damage and anti-social behaviour in general.