MERSEYSIDE Police have said there was a reduction in the number of calls received about anti-social behaviour and criminal damage on "Mischief Night."

The force recorded a total of 1760 calls during the police operation yesterday between 2pm and 11pm, down from 2354, (a 25% decrease) during the same period last year.

In Wirral, there were incidents of car windscreens being smashed in Rock Ferry and police were called to reports of youths throwing stones at a bus in St James Road, Birkenhead.

Across Merseyside, there was a 33.3% fall in reports of anti-social behaviour and criminal damage with 462 such reports being made compared to 693 the previous year.

Fifteen people were arrested for a variety of low-level offences down from 24 people last year and 13 in 2016.

Chief Inspector Paddy Kelly said: "The period between October 30 and November 5 is often a busy time for police and last night, thankfully, we saw a significant decrease in the number of reports of criminal damage anti-social behaviour compared to last year.

"This is good news for our communities and we would ask that people continue to enjoy the festivities safely and responsibly over the coming days.

"A massive amount of effort and planning has gone into this operation and parents have clearly listened to our advice to make sure they know where their children are, and many young people themselves have taken advantage of activities put on for them.

"We know that criminal damage and antisocial behaviour is concerning for the community, particularly vulnerable and elderly people and I would like to reinforce our message that this behaviour will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

"I would like to reassure the public that we will continue to have increased high-visibility patrols over the Halloween and Bonfire Night period.

"We will work closely with partner agencies and take swift action against the small minority who are intent on causing trouble."

Anyone who would like to report incidents of anti-social behaviour or criminal damage can contact police via @MerPolCC, 101 or @CrimestoppersUK.