Firework thrown at female PCSO in Mile End Halloween attack
A FEMALE police community support officer was left bruised and shaken after a firework thrown in her direction exploded close to her face.
The officer, in her twenties, was on patrol outside Anson House, near Mile End Road on Saturday (October 30) when the rocket was thrown from behind her.
The impact of the blast knocked off her cycling helmet, leaving her with bruising.
Large groups of youths in Halloween costumes were seen in the area moments before the incident at 9pm.
Police are investigating.
Meanwhile, overall crime figures from the Halloween period dropped compared to last year.
Operation Autumn Nights – a two week crackdown on offences linked to Halloween and Bonfire night – recorded 513 crimes in its first week, an 11 per cent decrease on last year.
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This time of year is often the busiest for police.
Demands on officers can increase three fold compared to New Year’s Eve.
Some 197 people were arrested from October 25 to 31 in Tower Hamlets.
Assaults went up from last year, with 47 recorded from Saturday to Monday, compared to 41 last year.
During the week, ten people were arrested for robbery and eight for criminal damage.
Three people were arrested for offensive weapons, two armed with a knife.
Nine were arrested for Public Order offences.
In one attempted robbery, a youth dressed as a mummy with bandages around his face and hands tried to steal a bike in Globe Road, Bethnal Green.
Two men were arrested and police are still looking into the crime.
Insp Stephen Manger said: “Many residents participated in the festivities of Halloween, including several thousand that made their way to the Brick Lane area for clubs and parties.
“The borough has experienced a relatively trouble free Halloween period to date.”
