Unsanctioned St. Patrick’s Day party on Ezra breaks records
Posted Apr 16, 2019 05:07:12 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Waterloo Regional Police have released the final, staggering numbers around the St. Patrick's Day Ezra Avenue party.
They say it was the largest crowd ever, with an estimated 33,000 people in attendance.
That's a 47 per cent increase over the numbers in 2018, and doesn't account for people on porches, in backyards or in houses during the unsanctioned event.
They say that with the increasing crowd sizes, the level of risk is also increasing to public safety, calling it “substantial.”
Police say the party also set records for charges laid.
Over the course of the weekend, more than 600 charges were handed out in the area, most of which were drinking tickets.
Just over 20 arrests were made as well, and emergency services responded to almost 300 calls related to St. Patrick's Day.
The cost is staggering too, though not record-breaking: the police service spent $286,400.
That's a decrease from the cost of 2018, where the service spent $330,000 on their efforts; this included a one-time purchase of radio equipment for future expanded police deployment.
There was also 380 hours of volunteer time put in by auxiliary police.
