Police will be out in force tonight in a bid to foil Halloween trouble makers, as well as taking steps to protect themselves against 911 hoaxers.

There have already been 23 cases of eggs and other missiles being hurled at cars, cyclists and homes over the past two weekends ? the most common problem officers face on Halloween night.

One case involved a broken concrete block being thrown at a cyclist in Hamilton Parish. Although the victim escaped with minor injuries, senior officers issued a stern warning yesterday that such behaviour could easily lead to tragedy.

Assistant Commissioner Carlton Adams said: ?This is a particularly dangerous practice. If done at a moving vehicle it has the potential to cause a serious accident or injury. I would ask those persons who are responsible for this behaviour to cease and desist as it could have serious consequences for someone who is riding or driving who is perhaps hit in the eye by a missile thrown at night. I would also appeal to parents to ensure that their youngsters are not indulging in this behaviour because what might seem like a childish prank could have some serious consequences for the victims.?

Police made 16 arrests last Halloween night and dealt with more than a dozen incidents of eggs and other missiles being thrown. In one, a rock smashed a bus window, leaving a passenger injured.

Superintendent Michael DeSilva said in line with previous policy, patrols would be stepped up tonight. He promised ?a very robust and capable Police response to anything thrown our way.? A total of 45 reserve officers have been called up for duty for 24 hours from lunchtime, with their main task being escorting buses. Two officers will be on every bus from about 4 p.m until the service finishes around midnight. Two Police Support Units and other officers patrolling on foot will also boost those on regular duties. Patrols will be assigned small geographical sectors across the Island ? in some cases as small as a mile wide ? in order to respond quickly to unruly behaviour.

However, Supt. DeSilva warned: ?In the past, what has become a trend is for bogus calls to be placed in to our 911 dispatchers about egg throwing or Molotov cocktail throwing. In many cases this has been designed to lure the Police into a trap so they themselves can be the subject of throwing eggs and rocks and the like.?

He said that for the third year running emergency dispatchers have been instructed to check out all information from callers, as officers will not respond to anonymous calls to damage being caused. ?We?ve done this in the past and the Police end up being the target. If you call 911 to report an incident, please be patient with the dispatcher because he or she will be asking questions to verify that we are actually responding to a report of real collateral damage.?