London police don't want an invititation to parties this St. Patrick's Day.
Police will be using various social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to monitor parties on Thursday. They'll be using the hashtag #dontinviteus2urparty.
Thousands of revellers will pack the downtown, Richmond Row, and areas around Western University and Fanshawe College to mark the Irish holiday. Police have promised they will have beefed up patrols in those areas to keep a lid on celebrations throughout the day.
"This year we have chosen the 'keep calm' motto we see all over the place. We put out our own flyers to Western students and Fanshawe students and it says 'keep calm and celebrate St. Paddy's Day responsibly.' We want to encourage everybody to have a good time but make sure that they're safe at the same time," says Constable Sandasha Bough.
Leading up to the celebrations, police teamed up with the Western University Student Council and Fanshawe College Student Union to create a YouTube video.
"We go over some key messages like control your celebrations, keep the party off the street, don't take on the personal risk of illegally selling alcohol, and understand that excessive noise at any time affects your neighbours," says Bough. "Throughout the video you'll see individuals from Fanshawe College, Western University, and our very own Chief of Police John Pare encouraging everyone to have a good time on St. Patrick's Day but be responsible."
Last year, police issued 93 offence notices, with open liquor in a public place, public intoxication and public urination being the most frequent charges. There were also a total of 240 warnings issued by police for a variety of infractions.
St. Patrick's Day partying spiraled out of control in 2012, when a mob of more than 1,000 revellers hurled objects at police and started a fire that destroyed a TV news truck on Fleming Dr.
