Despite bylaws and bans on the use of fireworks in the Lower Mainland, many neighbourhoods were lit up on Halloween night.
A scary scene in Delta, B.C., has officials questioning local permit systems and bylaw enforcement.
According to police, hundreds of youths gathered at South Delta Secondary School and Dennison Park.
Police said officers counted more than 400 youths at one point.
“At times, the group developed a crowd mentality where individual levels of responsibility evaporated,” police said in a media release Tuesday.
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“Legally, police are empowered to enforce city bylaws but unfortunately it really comes down to a resourcing issue,” said Kyla Lee, an Acumen Law Corporation lawyer in Vancouver.
“They don’t have the resources to be attending every fireworks call. When fireworks are going off, there is usually a 10- to 15-minute delay between when the call is made and when the officers eventually get there.”
Lee said by the time officers arrive at the complaint, typically those responsible are long gone.
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