At yesterday’s first 2008, Celebration of Light Festival, in order to tackle the ongoing problems that confront West Vancouver each year and to ensure the safety of the spectators to the event, the West Vancouver Police Department deployed an additional fourteen officers to support the regular patrol team.

Almost immediately, the additional officers began dealing with festival related calls. The calls were fuelled in large part by the arrival of thousands of spectators, the majority of whom were intoxicated youth. Many of these youth are believed to have traveled to the area from other outside municipalities. This year, for the first time, the West Vancouver Police Department partnered with the Vancouver Police Marine Squad. Liquor inspections were conducted on boaters leaving West Vancouver Piers and Marinas and heading to English Bay.

 

The additional resources were required for the greater part of the evening along Marine Drive, in particular Dundarave Park and at the intersection of 25^th Street and Marine Drive where the crowds congregated to board the busses.  In addition to the extra volume of spectators, officers were called upon to quell fights, resolve disturbances, conduct liquor seizures, carry out boating safety and liquor inspections and to dispel hundreds of  intoxicated safely. All of the calls related to the Celebration of Lights Festival were in addition to the ongoing calls for service that included, bears in the community, people being threatened, car accidents and a suspicious person.

 

By the evening’s end, officers had made ten arrests, issued two violation tickets, carried out a number of liquor seizures, on land and water and returned three grossly intoxicated youths to their parents.

 

To ensure that the Festival remains a safe environment for all, a strong police presence will be maintained during the firework celebration nights. The additional resources will be used to diffuse problem confrontations as expeditiously as possible.