An increased police presence was found amidst a sea of green clothing as Londoners came out for St. Patrick’s Day.
Staying true to their word, London police are doing everything they can to maintain public safety during the Irish holiday.
Const. Jacquie Wilson told 980 CFPL extra officers were deployed to help maintain control.
“We’re not out to ruin anyone’s day, but if enforcement is necessary, we are there to do that. We’re just promoting safety and respectfulness,” said Wilson. She added that the good weather brought out more people than originally expected.
Even before sunset, police already shut down a number of parties. Most of the shutdowns are being posted on their Twitter page along with the hashtag #DontInviteUs2UrParty.
Police weren’t the only ones on their toes. Laura Nielsen-Murray, general manager for McCabe’s Irish Pub and Grill, said she’s expecting the rush of customers to come in waves.
Nielsen-Murray said the crowd tends to get more crazy during the late-night wave, when people have already been drinking throughout the day.
“When that happens, we have a tendency to just deny people at the door. So if you’ve already had a good St. Patrick’s Day, go home and enjoy it there,” said Nielsen-Murray.
Others skipped out on the house parties and restaurants and opted for a night of music.
Juan Gonzalez and Phil Perez are a pair of Western University students who plan on seeing rapper Lil Yachty perform at the London Convention Centre. Gonzalez said he has no worries about staying safe during the evening.
“We’ll be using our Uber app tonight, or our bus passes from Western.”
Last year, city police laid 52 liquor licence act charges, one trespass charge, and 20 highway traffic act charges. In addition, 123 warnings were issued, five public nuisance charges were handed out, and two people saw citations for urinating in public.
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