Waterloo St. Patrick's Day weekend to have 'very high police presence'
Ne'er-do-wells will need the luck of the Irish to escape the law this weekend.
Waterloo Region police are promising "a very high police presence" in the city's student neighbourhoods as thousands of green-clad revellers prepare to celebrate annual St. Patrick's Day festivities this weekend.
"There's traditionally quite a few students that collect in the area and also go to a tent party, so we will have several officers and a very high police presence," Waterloo Regional Police Service spokeswoman Alana Holtom said Thursday.
We do commonly see things like public urination that will, by the way, earn you a $240 ticket.- Waterloo Regional Police Service spokesperson Alana Holtom
The tent party will be held in the parking lot beside the KW Granite Club on Seagram Drive, on the rim of the University of Waterloo campus.
The tent party was introduced by Waterloo city officials last year as an attempt to keep the bulging St Paddy's crowds under control on nearby Ezra Avenue, a small street lined with mostly student rentals just south of campus that has been ground zero for impromptu street parties in the past.
Holtom said officers will be highly visible this weekend, both at the tent party and on Ezra Avenue.
"Our officers are friendly, but they are there to enforce the law and that is exactly what they will do," she said.
Holtom said police will not tolerate open containers of alcohol, underage drinking, littering, vomiting or other acts that show disrespect to public or private property.
"We do commonly see things like public urination," she said. "That will, by the way, earn you a ticket of $240."
Holtom said police will also be on the lookout for the unlicensed sale of alcohol at parties, which made headlines last year after 14 students were charged and thousands of bottles of beer were seized when police crashed their St Patrick's Day party.
Holtom said police will also be conducting ride spot checks throughout the city looking for impaired drivers and trying to make sure everyone gets home from the party safe.
"Really our priority is overall safety," Holtom said. "So if we see students on the roof or any type of medical emergency, we're going to respond to that first and foremost and make sure emergency vehicles can get through."