Noise, fights make for busy Halloween
Pirate Benjamin Starkl, 2, grabs some loot at Langford fire hall No. 1 Halloween night.
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Updated: November 03, 2009 1:18 PM
Halloween revelers have traded in fireworks for house parties.
West Shore RCMP, fire departments and bylaw enforcement reported a relatively quiet All Hallows’ Eve. RCMP responded to three fireworks complaints, devoting the majority of officers time to noise complaints instead. Colwood, Langford and View Royal have banned the use of fireworks without a permit.
“Three — that is remarkable. If you lived here any length of time before this (fireworks) bylaw came in, man oh man, it’s a dramatic difference,” said RCMP Cpl. Gerry Sutherland.
There are 62 incidents from the night, “which is rather busy for the area,” Sutherland said. Police responded to five mischief calls and 14 noise complaints.
When the bars closed there were three different brawls going on, “which that’s probably not out of norm (for a Saturday night),” Sutherland added.
“We had 10 people in cells, which is a little higher than normal for a Saturday night.”
Colwood and Langford fire departments were able to focus on giving out candy rather than responding to emergency calls. Neither department had a single call this year. “We didn’t roll a wheel,” said Langford fire Chief Bob Beckett. “All three fire halls were extremely busy with trick-or-treaters. Halloween was what it was supposed to be for the little kids.”
Bylaw departments were a little busier, dealing mostly with noise and alcohol complaints. Colwood bylaw responded to seven RCMP calls, including one fireworks-related issue.
Langford bylaw had one fireworks call as well, in addition to several RCMP calls.
“There seemed to be a bit of an increase in house parties,” said Langford senior bylaw officer Lorne Fletcher. “Not that that’s a bad thing but we had one that got a little bit out of hand.”
“There were a few more parties and noise issues because ... this year it fell on a Saturday,” said Colwood bylaw officer Kevin Atkinson. “Overall it was a very respectable Halloween, very family-oriented.”
reporter@goldstreamgazette.com
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