An analysis of historic crime statistics from over 50’s property specialists, Quickmove Properties, reveals that police forces in England & Wales can expect a 17% uptick in antisocial behaviour this Halloween.
Quickmove Properties has analysed crime statistics in England & Wales since 2013 to see how Halloween, and the mischief often related to it, affects the rate of reported antisocial behaviour incidents in October compared to the monthly average for the rest of year. Examples of antisocial behaviour that are commonly associated with Halloween range from rowdy, inconsiderate neighbours, through to vandalism or graffiti, underage drinking, and unsafe use of fireworks.
The data shows that last year, 2022, reports of antisocial behaviour were 17% higher in October compared to the monthly average for the rest of the year, significant causes of which are likely to be Halloween and longer hours of darkness due to the clocks going back.
In fact, October has seen higher rates of antisocial behaviour in six of the past ten years, including a 6.8% uptick in 2015 and a 9.7% rise in 2016.
When analysing England & Wales on a local level, it was found that half of all police forces reported higher levels of antisocial behaviour in October 2022 versus the monthly average for the rest of the year.
The worst-hit force was London’s Metropolitan Police Service with 36,524 reports of antisocial behaviour in the month of October compared to a monthly average of 21,235 for the rest of the year. This is an increase of 72%.
City of London police saw an increase of 55.9%, and Merseyside Police saw a rise of 18.1%.
Other police forces to report an October increase include Northumberland (14.8%), Northern Ireland (10.3%), Cleveland (10.1%), and Wiltshire (8.6%).
Among the forces to record an October drop in antisocial behaviour in 2022 are Nottinghamshire Police (-82.6%), Dyfed-Powys (-19.6%), Northamptonshire (-15.8%), and North Yorkshire (-13.1%).
Sales Director at Quickmove Properties, Mark O’Dwyer, commented:
“Halloween can be a scary time for older homeowners, in particular - no pun intended. What seems like innocent hijinks to one person can be really intimidating to another. This can be especially true for those older homeowners who might live alone and therefore feel more vulnerable in the face of antisocial behaviour such as door-knocking or loitering in the street.
We find this is one reason that modern residential park home developments appeal to so many people. They provide a safe, often gated community for like-minded people of a similar age and sensibility and so there simply isn’t any heightened level of Halloween inspired anti-social behaviour.
What’s more, with such a close knit community, there’s always a friendly face nearby if needed as neighbours look out for each other and their property.”
Data tables
