Officials say St. Patrick’s Day weekend went smoothly in Kingston, despite dozens of fines and charges doled out to partiers this year.
Data released Thursday shows 99 open liquor charges were laid over the weekend and two people were charged with public intoxication.
By-law enforcement included six charges for hosting a nuisance party — an offence that carries a $2,000 fine — and police also briefly declared a nuisance party when a crowd swelled on Aberdeen Street during celebrations Saturday.
But all in all, officials say the weekend — typically a busy one for emergency services as students mark the occasion– was a success.
“Overall, we’re glad about how things went this weekend. We had a lot of compliance and did not have any serious safety concerns that came out of the event,” said the city’s manager of enforcement, Kyle Compeau, in a media release Thursday. “Attendees were mostly respectful and cooperative, and when the street was taken over, we saw it dispersed quicker than in previous years.
Compeau attributes the success to efforts by Kingston police and by-law enforcement to canvass the city’s university district before the weekend, speaking to students and providing information about legislation surrounding street gatherings and partying.
The city’s University District safety initiative, which allows law enforcement officials to lay nuisance party and noise bylaw infractions during any large gatherings that occur in the district, was in effect from March 11 to 18.
The police report released Thursday shows 18 people were given$500 fines for failing to comply with an order to leave a premises, 17 people were given $200 fines for amplified sound, and five people received $200 fines for “yelling and shouting” violations.
Last year, on St. Patrick’s Day alone, Kingston police spent $140,000 on law enforcement for the weekend.
While police haven’t said how much money was spent on enforcement efforts this year, Kingston Police Chief Scott Frasier said the service’s efforts, including the work of liaison teams leading up to the weekend “are clearly making an impact at mass gathering events.”
“The Kingston Police developed an operational plan and executed that plan with professionalism and precision,” he said in a statement. “Despite increasing our enforcement, initial observations would include the reduction of charges laid. Our goal is to reduce our footprint at these events without jeopardizing safety or security.”