Despite little to no revellers in the university district on March 17, the price tag for the police presence is in

It was a successful day for Regional Police, who didn't have to deal with the thousands of revellers that usually descend on Ezra Avenue for St. Patrick's Day.

But the cost to plan for the worst, and execute said plan, has been revealed to be just over $160,000.

"Regardless of crowd sizes in the Ezra Corridor, and activity in the surrounding student neighbourhoods, a significant amount of time must be committed to operational planning and a baseline level of deployment is also required for all emergency services," stated a report presented to Waterloo Regional Police Services Board Wednesday.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford first declared a State of Emergency in the province just before 9:00 a.m. on March 17, prohibiting gatherings of more than 50 people.

Police Board Chair Karen Redman says that put a damper on anyone who was planning to go, and notes being able to scale back efforts quickly is a testament to good planning and long-term relationships.

"It was a well thought out strategic plan that has been built on years of building up relationships with our community partners," she said.

Over $68,000 was spent on overtime, while $37,000 was spent on planning and analysis.

The rest of the bill was for non-overtime salaries ($29,300), external policing from Peel Regional Police ($22,200) and other logistical items.

By comparison, $286,400 was spent by police for St. Patrick's Day 2019.

"As the day progressed, it became apparent that crowds were not accumulating in the Ezra Corridor and activity in the surrounding student neighbourhoods was also minimal," the report added, "This allowed for resources to be scaled back significantly, including the termination of additional crowd management resources early in the afternoon that had been provided by the OPP and Peel Regional Police."

"The fact that it was a non-event is wonderful for this year, but it didn't diminish the planning and (the partnerships) in place," Redman added.

"Had it been different, we would've been prepared, and that's really what this is all about: preparing for the worst and hoping for the best."

She says all the planning puts officials in a position of strength moving forward.

"St. Patrick's Day comes every year," Redman says, "This was a non-event. We're hoping it's a turning point, but nothing can be taken for granted."

"We still have to continue to build those relationships, and implement recommendations as we go forward, to make sure that we dissuade people from gathering in what is a very dangerous situation."

It doesn't mean officers weren't busy on that day, laying 57 charges, with 53 of those coming from traffic enforcement within the "special event area."

There were also three people arrested. One for public intoxication and the other two stem from outstanding warrants.