Though police say the tens of thousands of people who watched the fireworks on Saturday night were generally well behaved, officers still had their hands full pouring out more than 500 bottles of booze.
"People bringing liquor down to the beaches and downtown continues to be a focus for us," Const. Lindsey Houghton of the Vancouver Police Department said. "There were 565 liquor pour outs tonight, an increase over [Wednesday's fireworks.]"
Massive crowds of spectators crammed onto English Bay, many showing up before noon to stake out a spot, for Spain's Celebration of Light fireworks performance – but not everyone was on their best behaviour.
Police arrested nine people for public drunkenness, and seized four weapons: a pellet gun, a baseball bat, and two containers of bear spray.
There were eight drug seizures, one arrest for possession of stolen property, and 17 tickets handed out for various offences.
Houghton says the vast majority of people were peaceful and cooperative, though, and that the department's push to keep the event family-friendly over the years has been effective.
"People are out here having a lot of fun, coming out to Vancouver, and it's something that we encourage."
2010 Boat Launch Blitz
Houghton also lauded the monitoring of boat launches, conducted by various cooperating police agencies across Metro Vancouver, as a success.
Six boaters were turned away from launching their boats on Saturday, some for safety violations such as not having adequate life jackets.
About 60 boats in total were checked, Houghton said.
