A Freedom of Information request has revealed that the police have been called to deal with 60 fancy dress ‘incidents’ in Devon and Cornwall over the last three years.
While many of the incidents (such as a suspicious man dressed as Deadpool, a missing person dressed as Barbie and, intriguingly, Batman and Robin loitering outside a hotel in Exeter) were simply down to over-exhuberant revellers or over-cautious members of the public, there were also a number of more serious reports.
These included racial abuse from someone dressed as a clown, a number of superheroes being involved in a large fight, and a man dressed as Charles Dickens who was seen in Exeter with a sword.
However, the only arrest to take place was in October 2015 when one person on their way to a costume party was arrested for driving without due care and attention after they hit a pedestrian.
The FOI request also showed that Devon and Cornwall Police force received four reports which mentioned the phrase ‘trick or treat’ on 31 October and 1 November last year.
