As Halloween nears, a night of spooky fun must also come with some precautions to ensure the safety of southwest residents. 

As a favourite holiday for many Canadians, young and old, the streets are often bustling with traffic, children, and sometimes snow. As the night goes on and the sky darkens, many young ones donning costumes may become a serious issue on the roadway. 

Constable Gary Christopher, a general duty member with the Swift Current Municipal RCMP, has dealt with these issues in past years. 

“Make sure the little ones are escorted by a parent or at the very least a responsible older sibling or babysitter or something like that,” explains Christopher. “Wearing bright colours, never going alone, and when they're crossing streets, even if it's in a quiet little cul-de-sac, to always make sure that you don't run out between vehicles. Always check to see if there's traffic coming and have a fun and safe Halloween.” 

That is not the only Halloween hazard that the police of Swift Current must deal with, as some uptick in mischief could keep them occupied. 

“There's always that chance of mischief; kids that want to be the ones that try to ruin it for everybody else by egging houses and cars, toilet papering trees and cars, and those can lead to Criminal Code charges,” stated Christopher. “There's never really a large spike in that sort of activity here in Swift Current.” 

Much of the responsibility of a safe Halloween can also fall on drivers, as roadways return to the dangerous winter state. Slick roads and a huge increase in pedestrians make for a difficult combination, and it requires slow and alert drivers to make it safe. 

“If you are driving around on Halloween, it is dark, some kids do have dark Halloween costumes and don't have flashlights, so drivers, please be safe out there,” Christopher said. “Please slow down and watch for the little ones out there trying to have a good time.” 

In response to Canada's Online News Act and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) removing access to local news from their platforms, Swift Current Online encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the Swift Current Online app.