Wiltshire Police will be patrolling areas across Swindon and Wiltshire on Halloween and have warned the public of any dangers that may occur as well as how to keep safe.

During the Halloween and Bonfire Night period, police officers will be carrying out high visibility patrols to help prevent anti-social behaviour. 

The force has encouraged young people and children to keep safe, respect others and act responsibly while trick or treating on Tuesday, October 31.

There are also signs that can be downloaded from the Wiltshire Police website that members of the public can put in their windows to signal that they do not want trick-or-treaters to knock on their house.

The six tips for people that are trick or treating is:

- Always be accompanied by a trusted adult when you are trick or treating.

- You should only go to houses of people that you know and who are happy for you to call.

- Stay safe, keep to places that you know and are well-lit. Do not take shortcuts through gardens, alleyways or parks.

- Watch out for traffic.

- If you're wearing a mask, make sure that you can see where you are going and are aware of your surroundings.

- Carry a torch and a fully charged mobile phone.

The advice given to anybody that may feel unsafe or nervous during the celebrations was:

- Don’t open your door if you’re unsure who is there. Use your spyhole, look out of a window and use your door chain (if you have one available) if you do decide to open your door.

- Have a contact number of a close relative, friend or good neighbour by your home telephone, or stored in your mobile phone, just in case you need to get in touch with them.

- If you are part of a local Watch scheme, let your coordinator know that you could be on your own at Halloween. If you are a coordinator, please identify people in your scheme who may be vulnerable and offer them reassurance. 

Jenn Holton, the Neighbourhood Harm Reduction Unit lead, said: "Trick or treaters should take care and think carefully about which doors they knock on, particularly if there are elderly people or people living on their own in their area.

“The most important message is that we want people to enjoy Halloween and, in particular the children and young people, by keeping themselves safe and making sure they do not cause any problems in their communities.”