CLAD in masks and bizarre outfits, the trick-or-treaters who appear on doorsteps at Halloween unintentionally frighten many people, especially the elderly.
They also put themselves at risk of injury or worse by wandering the streets after dark.
These youngsters are only having fun, of course.
It is not so different from the old days when virtually every child created a Guy Fawkes effigy and begged for money for fireworks on the streets.
Nevertheless, the alarm trick-or-treaters can cause is real. Likewise the danger they themselves face.
So top marks to police and church leaders in the Quinton area for coming up with an imaginative scheme to try to solve the problem.
They have devised an orienteering exercise for children on Halloween to try to divert them away from trick-or-treating.
This is a sensible idea to tackle what many consider unacceptable behaviour and should remind us that the stick of punishment is not always the answer.