TRICK or treaters across Lowestoft and Waveney are being urged by police to take a responsible attitude to Halloween this year.They are also appealing to locals to be a little more tolerant of the high spirits of young people celebrating the event.

TRICK or treaters across Lowestoft and Waveney are being urged by police to take a responsible attitude to Halloween this year.

They are also appealing to locals to be a little more tolerant of the high spirits of young people celebrating the event.

A series of posters has been produced, which address the issues surrounding Halloween. These posters will be put up around the county and have been widely distributed to schools and businesses.

One poster is designed for those people who do not want to take part in the celebrations to put in their window. It states: “The occupants of this house kindly ask you not to call on Halloween. Please respect our wishes.” Copies of this poster can be downloaded to display in windows from The Journal's website.

It is hoped that the privacy of those people who clearly indicate that they do not wish to be involved in Halloween will be respected and trick or treaters will move on.

A second poster is designed to encourage retailers to be responsible with regard to the sale of eggs. They are being asked not to sell eggs to young people on October 30/31.

The damage caused by egg throwing will be treated as criminal damage and those caught throwing eggs will be prosecuted - if found guilty they face a criminal record.

Another poster asks parents to think about the safety of their children and asks if they would normally let their children call on a stranger's home unsupervised.

On the lead up to Halloween next Friday, members of the local Safer Neighbourhood Teams will be visiting schools with the aim of educating school children on how to behave responsibly within the community and to be respectful to other peoples wishes.

Inspector Ben Cook, Crime Reduction Officer for Suffolk Police said: “We hope that this year people will take a responsible attitude to Halloween. “Thanks to continuing support from the local media, members of the public have responded well to our requests for them to act responsibly over the last few years. “By repeating the measures that worked last year, we hope to keep the number of disturbances to a minimum.

“There will be extra patrols throughout the county, and this year to coincide with the National Specials Constabulary weekend there will be over 100 special constables on duty supporting their regular colleagues.”