MERSEYSIDE Police saw a dramatic fall in the number of reported incidents over the Halloween weekend, despite it traditionally being one of the busiest times of the year for the Force.

There were 800 fewer non-emergency calls received on Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31, compared to the same dates last year - a 32 per cent reduction.

And emergency calls were down too. There were 1445 calls made to 999 across both dates, compared to 1528 in 2009 - a 5.4 per cent fall - and 97 per cent of all calls made to the emergency services were answered within the required time, despite the increased volumes compared to other weekends.

Superintendent Julie Cooke, who is head of Merseyside Police's Anti-Social Behaviour Taskforce, said she was pleased that the vast majority of people enjoyed the Halloween period safely and responsibly.

Supt Cooke said: "It is very encouraging to see a significant fall in the number of incidents compared to 2008, especially considering that Halloween fell on a weekend and at half-term this year.

"It says to me that not only did the work by the emergency services and our partner agencies in the run up to this weekend pay dividends, but also that the vast majority of young people embraced the idea that it is all about having fun, not misbehaviour.

"Schemes supported by the police like the free cinema tickets and community discos for young people proved to be incredibly popular and gave youngsters something fun but safe to do.