Statistics released Tuesday by Guelph police paint a clearer picture of how University of Guelph Homecoming parties affected police resources. While Homecoming is always a busy weekend in the city, this year’s edition attracted extra attention. People living in the city’s south end woke up Sunday morning to litter and debris left behind by late-night revelers. In one case, an elderly woman had a rock thrown through her window and a chair stolen off her porch. The events prompted a response from the city’s mayor, who has said he will be working with police and student leaders to figure out how to stop similar mischief from happening in the future. Police released a statement Tuesday suggesting that a number of factors were behind the apparent increase in bad behaviour. Specifically, they cited the unseasonably hot weather, one specific party which grew to the size of 4,000 people and required a significant police presence to monitor, and the further deployment of officers to events unrelated to Homecoming, including a fatal collision and a home invasion. Between 7 a.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday, police responded to 123 noise complaints. Ten of those complaints resulted in tickets being issued, while one resulted in a person being charged for causing a public nuisance. There were 10 arrests for public intoxication during the same 24-hour period. Seven people were ticketed for public urination, and seven others for having open liquor in public. Police also made two arrests for impaired driving. While Homecoming-related events were likely behind most of those arrests and tickets, police say the totals include all activities across the city. Police say they will review how the day unfolded and take that review into consideration when planning for future Homecoming weekends.
