Guelph police respond to 586 calls over 24-hour period for homecoming
Police chief wants OUA, universities to address 'homecoming circuit' parties
Police responded to 586 calls over a 24-hour period during the University of Guelph's homecoming celebrations.
The calls came in betwee 6 a.m. Saturday morning and 6 a.m. Sunday morning.
That number is down from the 944 calls in 2017, which also saw a massive party on Chancellors Way near some off-campus student housing. The 2017 party sparked outrage from the community and prompted an apology from the university's president.
Numbers released by the force Monday night said officers investigated 32 noise complaints this year and handed out 12 noise complaint tickets and 10 nuisance party tickets.
There were also 178 tickets for open liquor infractions and 16 tickets for peeing in public.
As well, police arrested three people for impaired driving and nine for public intoxication.
The city's bylaw department also responded to 89 noise complaints, handing out eight noise complaint and 16 nuisance party tickets. There were 71 parking complaints and 345 parking tickets issued.
Police say there was an increased focus on areas like Chancellors Way and the downtown core to minimize parties and rowdy behaviour. Hundreds still gathered on Chancellors Way, but police dispersed the crowd by 8 p.m. Saturday.
Police say community partners will now "assess our approach and develop additional strategies for future events."
In a tweet, police Chief Jeff DeRuyter said a "common theme" at the homecoming celebrations was that students were coming from across the province to do a "homecoming circuit."
He called on Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and the universities to "address the scheduling of games as this large scale party trend continues to grow across Ontario."