Kitchener-Waterloo

Seven arrested in Guelph for public intoxication on St. Patrick's Day

Police in Guelph arrested four people for public intoxication on Thursday and issued tickets for public urination and liquor offences.

First ticket was handed out at 9:42 a.m.

A Guelph police cruiser is seen near a group of St. Patrick's Day revellers on Thursday. (Guelph Police Service/Twitter)

Seven people were arrested for being drunk in public on what Guelph police say was a "safe and respectful" St. Patrick's Day.

There were four tickets issued for public urination. As well, there were 38 liquor offences and one noise complaint, police said in a release Friday.

The police force said it worked with a number of community partners to ensure the day went smoothly.

On Twitter, the police service said the first public intoxication arrest of the day was at 9:42 a.m. in the south end of the city near Victoria Street and Arkell Road.

Like Waterloo, Guelph has many university students who throw house parties on St. Patrick's Day, but unlike Waterloo where there are a number of student residences on Ezra Street, students don't tend to live on one street near the university in Guelph.

Guelph police also checked 485 vehicles during a RIDE program between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. There were five roadside tests administered and two of the drivers, a 27-year-old woman from Arkell and a 21-year-old man from Mississauga, were issued three-day licence suspensions. The other three drivers were within the legal limit to drive their vehicles.

During the RIDE checks, police found a 19-year-old Guelph man with a suspended license, while four people were ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt when a five-person vehicle was checked and officers discovered nine people inside.