Halloween 2019 was fairly quiet according to the Saanich police and fire departments.
The fire department responded to 12 calls between 6 p.m. on Oct. 31 and 8 a.m. on Nov. 1 and most were medical calls, not fires, said Capt. Insp. Carl Trepels.
He noted that the department issued 56 bonfire permits and 57 fireworks permits. Crews inspected several of the fires and found that each was in compliance. Trepels credits the permit system for the smooth evening.
READ ALSO: Man, 20, stabbed with a screwdriver in Saanich on Halloween night
Police responded to 45 calls after 5:30 p.m. but Det. Sgt. Chris Horsley called the evening “manageable.”
He explained that Saanich police plan for more than just one night of Halloween celebrations as the festivities often begin before Oct. 31 and continue into the following weekend. An Operational Plan is developed to deal with the extra calls.
However, this year, most of the calls were for noise complaints, explained Horsley.
He also noted that the officers deployed at the University of Victoria to monitor the Halloween shenanigans described the campus as “very quiet.”
READ ALSO: VicPD sees a drop in calls compared to Halloween last year
Horsley pointed out that there was one significant incident that occurred around 11 p.m. where a 20-year-old man was stabbed with a screwdriver near Lansdowne Road and Aldridge Street. He’d been attempting to intervene in a fight between two women when he was stabbed. He was taken to hospital to be treated for a collapsed lung and a 24-year-old male suspect was taken into police custody.
@devonscarlett
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