Police are urging people to behave responsibly and stay safe this Bonfire Night period.

While a great many people enjoy the festivities at this time of year, there are others for whom it brings distress and raises the fear of crime.

Police officers, PCSOs and Special Constables will be undertaking proactive patrols to ensure that residents and visitors feel safe.

Posters have been delivered to shops to prevent young people buying eggs and flour and fireworks, and schools have been visited to educate young people about anti-social behaviour and the dangers of fireworks. Social media is also being used to provide information and advice to residents.

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Kennedy, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “Officers will be out in the towns and cities across North Yorkshire to act as reassurance and deter anti-social behaviour.

“I would like parents to speak to their children to ensure that they understand how their actions can put themselves at risk, and leave others in fear of crime. If you know that a neighbour is vulnerable, please keep an eye out for them to help prevent them from becoming concerned about being a victim of crime.”

“We work closely with the Fire and Rescue Service and I would also remind people not take risks with fireworks. Anyone caught supplying fireworks to under 18-year-olds or lighting them in the street can expect to be dealt with robustly, and people working in shops should also be mindful of selling anything to young people which could be used to cause anti-social behaviour.”

For safety advice, interactive games and poster downloads, visit North Yorkshire Police’s Bonfire Night website atwww.northyorkshire.police.uk/bonfire.

York Police invite football fans to show burglars the red card

York Police are urging football fans to get their valuable items security marked to help tackle property theft.

Officers are working with York City Football Club, using their new ‘dot peen’ property marking equipment at the stadium.

Dot peen marking involves using a tungsten carbide-tipped pin to indent an object with dots to create a visible, permanent unique number. The unique number will be entered onto the national Immobilise property register database, vastly increasing the chances that it will be reunited with its owner if it is lost or stolen.

The machines can mark at a speed of two characters per second, to an accuracy of 0.006mm, and can be used on everything from steel and aluminium to plastic. They have been funded by North Yorkshire Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, and Safer York Partnership.

PCSO Andy Smith, of York North Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “Dot peen machines can engrave your cycles, phones and music players – essentially, everything except your football! In the unfortunate event of items being stolen or lost, dot peen marking gives us a much better chance to return your property to you.

“The process is very easy and will only take a few of minutes of your time, so you shouldn’t miss any of the game.

“We will also be available to offer security advice or answer any questions you might have. We hope you will come and see us and enjoy the game!”

The Safer Neighbourhood Team will be in the car park under the main stand from 12pm to 3pm for the following games:

• Saturday 14 November 2015 v Plymouth
• Saturday 19 December 2015 v Morecambe

Since the machines were introduced in July 2015, York Police have had an excellent response from the public, resulting in more than 2,500 items of property being marked across the city.

To find out when your next property marking event is taking place, follow your local York police team on Twitter at @snayorkcityeast, @snayorknorth or @snayorkwest. The service is promoted on Twitter with the hashtag #whatisdotpeen. You can also ‘like’ the York City & East Police and NYP Universities pages on Facebook, and visit www.northyorkshire.police.uk/whatisdotpeen