London police worked double duty on Sunday as Londoners celebrated St. Patrick’s Day, amid the city’s hosting of the 48th annual Juno Awards.
Cst. Sandasha Bough told 980 CFPL that work was split between off-duty officers who were hired on for Juno-related events, and a number of officers who were assigned to St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Midway through the day, Bough added that things had been relatively quiet, save a few house parties that police attended in regards to noise levels.
Off the streets, police have been using the hashtag #dontinviteus2urparty in order to promote safety reminders online.
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Bough said the hashtag has been a hit with Londoners, adding that they often share helpful information with police.
“If anybody has anything that they want to let us know about, they can use that hashtag themselves or just follow along,” Bough said.
Away from the house parties, some Londoners chose to take the pub route for their St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.
“We’ve almost doubled our order for beer,” said Samantha Windley, general manager for McCabe’s Irish Pub and Grill on Richmond Street.
Along with extra staff and day-long 19+ policy, Windley says McCabe’s also has paid-duty officers in order to maintain a safe environment within the pub.
“Just their presence is a help in general. It kind of warns people to know we’re watching,” Windley said.
“We do not tend to run into a lot of issues on St. Patrick’s Day.”
In regards to trends, Bough noted that colder temperatures have left to fewer people outside compared to last year.
In 2018, more than 200 warnings and nearly 50 tickets were issued.
Four people were also arrested that year. Three for Criminal Code offences, with the fourth charged in accordance with the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
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