With Halloween being known as a ‘prank’ type of holiday, putting the ‘trick’ into trick or treating, it’s perhaps little surprise that petty crime can increase in the days before and after this spooky period. But how much does crime increase? And what type of crimes have seen the biggest rise?

What type of crime increases the most over Halloween?

Property crime sees the largest increase, and whilst vandalism is indeed common, 60% of these claims involved theft from properties, including breaking and entering. Rather scarily, breaking and entering increases whether there’s someone in the property or not.

Why does crime increase over Halloween?

Crime typically happens by opportunists, usually under the cover of darkness and usually with some sort of disguise. Typically, disguises might involve a hood being pulled up, or a hat being pulled down… Halloween costumes, therefore, offer the perfect disguise for opportunistic criminals who can easily walk about over Halloween late at night without causing too much suspicion.

Statistically, most crimes occur between 7pm and 1am, peaking at 10pm. These times happen to be times favoured by trick-or-treaters on Halloween. This means buildings (businesses and homes) are empty as families walk the streets in search of pumpkins, sweet treats, and innocent ‘tricks’, away from their homes for longer than they might normally be in an evening, and perhaps closing their businesses earlier to make the most out of festivities.

As with most festive events, Halloween will see an increase in alcohol and drug use, this is often partnered hand in hand with an increase in crime rate too. All of these factors partnered together to explain the increase in crime over Halloween.

What can you do to minimise the risk of crime at your home and/or business over Halloween?

• Invest in security lighting. If someone is creeping down your driveway, or around the back of your building late at night, having a motion sensor light to illuminate them is a great deterrent.
• Invest in CCTV. Whilst CCTV is limited in being able to recognise someone’s identity dressed as a zombie, mummy, or wicked witch, it can prove useful in placing that person at a particular time or location. Partnered with public CCTV footage, it could be possible for the police to provide an identity.
• If you are closing your business early because of Halloween, don’t post it on social media! Doing so can make your business a prime target as you’re letting the world know the building is empty.
• Double-check that doors and windows are locked, even when you’re home or still working late.

Finally…

• For businesses, we’d strongly recommend investing in professional security, such as manned guarding mobile patrols. We’ll be able to keep a close eye on your business and let you know if anything ‘spooky’ happens.

For information on how we can support your business with our security services, please don't hesitate to contact a member of our team.

Alternatively, if you're looking to further your career within the security industry, please check the careers section on our website or email us an up-to-date copy of your C.V. We never subcontract security guards, choosing instead to invest in training and we work hard to support our staff. We look forward to meeting you.

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