WATERLOO REGION — Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin says he's been asked repeatedly if St. Patrick's Day was a success.

"What you see here is no small feat to contain," Larkin said Wednesday as he showed police board members a photo of Ezra Avenue at it's peak Saturday afternoon with more than 22,000 revelers taking over the street.

"I'm very pleased with the outcome. There were no significant injuries, no life-threatening injuries when you have a crowd the size of Owen Sound," he said.

"Naturally, I'm disappointed the party grew," he added.

Days before the massive street party, Larkin said he wanted to keep the road open, but he knew students flocking to the area would force officers to close the street.

By noon a dump truck was placed at the each end of Ezra to stop the crowd from going onto King and Albert streets.

"We tried to keep the roadway open but naturally it became unsafe and we had to go into containment mode," he said.

But Larkin said the day was a success because even with the large crowds, few students were seriously hurt and most were able to celebrate the day.

Police responded to 248 calls in nearly a 12-hour period and laid 619 charges.

Of those charges, 435 were alcohol-related offences and 18 were criminal code charges, which was up from three last year.

Larkin praised officers for containing any fights that broke out and stopping potential dangerous incidents from escalating, such as a knife-wielding man on University Avenue who was arrested at gunpoint Saturday.

"We should pause and celebrate our successes. We had good planning and we were adequately resourced," he said.

"This exhausts us."

Larkin said he wants the party scaled back and hopes that in five years, revelers won't take over a public street.

"How do we phase out this process so that we eliminate unsanctioned, unlawful street parties?" he asked.

Larkin said he's concerned about the crowds that come from other cities. This year, police stopped cars coming from Toronto, Ajax, Markham, Guelph and Sarnia.

Larkin said the next step involves meeting with others, including the university officials, city bylaw officials and paramedics, and talking about how to shut the party down.

"We need to engage the student population and what is driving the need to celebrate and take over Ezra."

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Larkin said detailed numbers on what policing the party cost will be presented at next month's board meeting. Last year, the event cost police $120,000.

Larkin said this year's costs will be higher because the party occurred on a Saturday and more officers were working. Officers from Peel Region helped secure the crowds.

Board member Karl Kiefer said the ever-growing party is difficult to dismantle.

"It's unbelievable what the costs of sustaining it are, and we can't contain it," he said.

Board chair Tom Galloway said: "We have a problem. It is imperative to get this under control."

"There will be a year when it will include unfortunate statistics," said Galloway, referring to the possibility of serious injuries or death.

lmonteiro@therecord.com, Twitter: @MonteiroRecord

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