The police: Then the Halloween bus may be illegal

Next weekend Halloween is celebrated in Sweden and for many that means dressing up and fun pranks.

But the mischief can easily go too far and now the police want to raise awareness among parents. Being intimidated or throwing objects at other people's houses could, in the worst case, lead to a police report.

- If something breaks, it is vandalism. If you disturb in any other way, it could be disturbing, says Olle Älveroth, press spokesperson for the police region East.

Can it be illegal to scare?

- It depends entirely on what you do. Let's say you walk around with a pretend gun and aim it so someone thinks it's real. It could be considered an illegal threat.

Dressing up is generally not illegal, but carrying pretend weapons is not recommended, according to the police. It can easily cause misunderstandings and require unnecessary resources from society.

- In the past, this type of case has led to calls where, at an initial stage, we have to take it seriously and see it as sharp. It eats up resources that could have been used for something else, says Olle Älveroth.

Last year, for example, several police patrols were alerted about a youth gang in Laholm who pointed a weapon at passers-by. The object turned out to be a pretend weapon.

- It can be enough to show something that can be perceived as a weapon. Our position is that it is highly inappropriate, says Olle Älveroth.

Olle Älveroth urges parents to talk to their children ahead of the coming weekend. It is not obvious that everyone knows where the line is. What one person thinks is fun, another may find unpleasant or nasty.

- You can talk about what is a reasonable limit. Not to disturb, frighten or in any other way spoil the experience for someone else, I believe that many parents are very good at that. But it can't hurt that we remind, says Olle Älveroth.

In summary, the police call for common sense before the Halloween celebration.

- If you think about what is reasonable and decent, I think you probably know where the line is.