A rise in crime during Halloween and Bonfire Night might indicate what we can expect this Christmas

Crime spikes could give insight into how retailers should prepare for the ‘Golden Quarter’…

At Advantage One we like a good joke as much as anyone else. Whilst our business is a serious one, any chance to lighten the day is seized upon by my fun loving colleagues… provided always that it does not interfere with or work or the wellbeing of our customers. Obvs! So, at this time of year, it is not unheard of for me to leave the office to be confronted by a car covered in spray on cobwebs with a skeleton tied to the rear bumper. Or for Esme to suffer the indignity of wearing a doggy zombie disguise, or to have a big black evil looking spider tucked under the pillow in her basket… scarier still when she starts to eat it (it’s a dog treat!).

Halloween is now BIG in this country. This year Brits are expected to spend £776 Million on Halloween, with around £350 Million of that on sweets (and Haribo, controls over 46% of the Halloween sweet market – that’s a lot of jelly sweets!) Some sources conclude that Halloween now outstrips all other festivals in the UK – think Father’s Day, Mother’s Day or Easter – in terms of money spinners for the F&B industry. And that’s all great, but unfortunately, there is also an increasingly sinister side to Halloween. One that sees a sharp spike in criminal activity every year; for businesses a 40%-50% surge in criminal attacks on this night every year.

The nights are dark. Having turned back the clocks just last week (no extra hour in bed for me though as a certain dawgy’s body clock still needs walkies at the same hour, whether it is identified as 7am or 6am!), suddenly even early evening is pitch black. And of course, crime loves the cover of darkness. Criminals know that people are going to leave their homes to go trick or treating. Most crime happens between 7pm and 10pm when families will be out wandering the streets trick-or treating…

just as criminals are out looking for targets to burgle. Some businesses shut early, in order to take advantage of the festivities. And in broadcasting the fact to their customer base, by emblazoning the early closure across social media, they also tell the criminals when the store will be unoccupied! On pretty much any other day of the year a person wearing a spooky face mask would draw attention to themselves and people would wonder why they were hiding their faces. However, on Halloween if you don’t have a mask then you are just not part of the party. As a result, thieves can hide in plain site with their identities completely obscured courtesy of Dracula, Skeletor or my mate’s ex-wife… the Wicked Witch!

As with any festivity, people will tend to consume more drugs and alcohol. A heady cocktail that always leads to an increased incidence of crime, either in terms of becoming a soft target or becoming convinced that it is OK to commit the crime you are about to undertake. And break-ins to property take place whether they are occupied or not. Somehow all the factors mentioned above seem to embolden criminals. So, it will be interesting to review what happened this year, and to see if there are any new trends in what you might call Halloween crime.

Of course, Bonfire Night comes hot on the heels of Halloween, and again it is something that many at Advantage One look forward to – especially those of our colleagues with children… because the whole celebration is so much better with kids. I have been to the big, organised displays and they are great. But, so long as safety protocols are observed, for me the box of fireworks let off at home with all the associated fun of marshmallows, hot chocolate and burgers in the garden is the best. Of course, being a professional, Esme is not fazed by fireworks.

However, not all woofits are so inclined. So do think carefully about pet welfare before letting off fireworks They can be really scary for some of our animal friends. According to David Walsh, Board Director of world-leading visual monitoring company, “Bonfire Night is great fun for kids, but it can be an extremely expensive time for business owners. Every year we see a surge in crime around business premises by youths looking for bonfire materials. Everything not nailed down is seen as fair game, from tyres and pallets to more expensive building materials and even oil theft.

Warehouses, construction sites, yards and unoccupied premises are particularly vulnerable.” Whilst the majority of incidents are minor, there are often serious incidents, which result in severe damage to businesses as well as public and private property. And unfortunately, we regularly hear stories of how troublemakers start fires and then throw fireworks at the fire brigade when they come to put them out. Paramedics and police also find themselves on the receiving end of similar behaviours. I have to be honest; it is a worrying trend. Set against a backdrop of increased violence towards retailers and almost a normalisation of criminal behaviour you would have to wonder how much worse things are going to get and of they are going to get better.

At Advantage One we are seeing an increasing role for security guards to protect staff. People do not feel safe. A recent survey found that 40% of people in retail wished they could make a living by not serving the public. How sad is that. I hope that everyone reading this article will have had a great Halloween and an enjoyable Bonfire Night celebration. However, I also worry that when we reflect on this year’s events, that yet again we will see an increased propensity by members of the community to commit crime.

And as we move into Christmas, with crime in the final ‘Golden  Quarter’ of the year always being higher than at any other, it will give us a glimpse of what sort of crimes and the levels of them that we will need to deal with over the Christmas period. And that may well lead some retailers to look afresh at their operations and consider some strategic target hardening as the Festive Season approaches. Do get in touch if you would like any help with that!