Two Merseyside councillors have said referring to the night before Halloween "Mischief night" legitimises crime.

They spoke after a number of incidents on 30 October, including one in which a baby was injured when a brick was hurled at a bus, and one in Huyton in which 20 youths were filmed vandalising cars.

Knowsley Green councillor Chantelle Lunt said: "We need to stop calling this mischief night. It's criminal damage. It's harming communities".

Labour's Liverpool leader Liam Robinson echoed her sentiments, saying what had happened was far from "mischief".

Merseyside Police and councils have found themselves having to launch special operations on the eve of Halloween for several years, and Merseyside Police said there had been a 10% reduction in reports of crime and antisocial behaviour this year compared with last.

Officers have said they have "contempt" for the "sort of appalling behaviour that we historically see at this time of year".

Merseyside Police, which does not refer to 30 October as "Mischief Night", said: "It's the second year in a row that we've seen fewer reports of these offences on 30 October as we continue to protect our communities from this sort of behaviour.

"There were 17 dispersal orders in place, a Section 60/60AA in Garston, numerous stop searches carried out, fireworks seized, youths dispersed and arrests made during a co-ordinated operation across the region."

Lunt, in whose St Gabriel's ward cars were vandalised, said: "Smashing up people's cars and property is not mischief.

"When I was younger, what you would see is people throwing eggs, which was bad enough.

"You saw things like that happening and a little bit of kids out on the streets doing knock-a-door-run.

"Where we are now in 2026, it's clear criminal damage, it's clear intimidation of communities and it's putting people's lives at risk."

She added: "I think we should not be using the term 'mischief' anymore because I think it gives it a little bit of legitimacy, that it is actually this night when people or young people can be going out and doing this.

"It's gone far beyond mischief, and it's terrifying for communities.".

Robinson said Liverpool Council was working with police on prevention work, through things like spotting and removing large piles of rubbish which could make potential bonfires and investing in alternative activities for young people.

He said: "There are loads of great things that young people, if it's young people that are doing it, can do instead.

"But I also think we've got to be dead blunt about it. This just is not acceptable."

Robinson said the authority had doubled its budget for youth services in the past year, and the free gym passes for the council's Lifestyles gyms had seen more than 12,000 young people across the city signing up.