CREDIT: BBC.CO.UK
A crowd gathers on Fleming Drive during the infamous St. Patrick’s Day riot of 2012 that made headlines around the world.

St. Patrick's Day is quickly approaching, and images of a riot that emerged last March 17 on Fleming Drive near Fanshawe College are fresh in the minds of many Londoners. Participants threw beer bottles at police officers, fuelled a massive fire with furniture, and set a CTV News van on fire that eventually sent explosions into the sky.

Hundreds of people attended the massive gathering, and 175 criminal charges were laid against 68 suspects. The riot cost London taxpayers $500,000 for damaged property and the police investigation.

No one can say for sure how this year's Irish celebration will play out, but it's certain that London's Police Service is ready for whatever comes their way.

“Suffice to say, you will see lots of officers on patrol, lots of officers on the street, lots of officers in the area of Fleming,” said Police Chief Brad Duncan.

London's Nuisance Bylaw, enacted in May 2012 as a result of last year's Fleming Drive incident, will allow police officers to crack down on large, unruly gatherings. According to the bylaw, a “Nuisance Party” can be defined as participants engaging in disorderly conduct, public intoxication, damage or destruction of property, public brawls or fights, unreasonable noise, unlawful open burning and fireworks.

Driveway flip-cup tournaments and large street parties may not be a common sight this St. Paddy's Day.

“We will not allow the accumulation of people that has happened in the past on front lawns, driveways and sidewalks,” confirmed Duncan. “We are not going to allow persons walking on streets and sidewalks — take the party inside … Just because you occupy a residence doesn't give you the right to engage in activity on the outside of your residence that disrupts the rest of your neighbours.”

For many students, St Patrick's Day means pub crawls, pancake keggers and house parties. There's no reason why you can't enjoy these annual festivities, but there are ways to stay safe and avoid getting into trouble with the law.

“First of all, when you're dealing with keg parties, usually there's some sort of entrance fee or cost — that's illegal under the Liquor Licence Act. We will go in and disrupt keg parties, we'll seize all of the liquor, and the fines are significant,” said Duncan.

According to Fanshawe and Western University's housing mediator Glenn Matthews, one of the biggest party problems can be unwanted houseguests. “If you look at what happened last year on Fleming, two-thirds of the people who were charged were non-students ... People are a little bit unassuming when there are parties going on and people are coming into their houses. They have no idea who they are or what they may do in the way of theft or damage.”

Matthews wanted students to be aware that the consequences of unlawful behaviour can result in disciplinary action taken by the school they attend. “We're trying to make students aware that of the 26 students who were charged last year from Fanshawe, all 26 went through some kind of code of conduct discipline at school.”

Some students were expelled others were given behavioural contracts.

“It's not meant as a threat, we're just saying, ‘Look, don't put yourself in that position.' We know at least one individual was a Police Foundations student that was charged, and basically they will never work in that field.”

Matthews said that efforts are being made to inform students of the concerns that both Fanshawe and Western have about the upcoming holiday. Fanshawe's Student Union, for example, is going door-to-door in the Fleming Drive area to talk about responsible partying.

“We have prepared a bylaw flyer/handout and we're going to be going door to door through Fleming, through Thurman, through Prosperity, connecting with as many students as we can,” said Student Union President Zack Dodge. “That face-to-face time traditionally does make a difference,” he added.

Dodge and Fanshawe President Dr. Howard Rundle will also be preparing a memo that will be sent to every student at Fanshawe. “It's a bit of a reminder and a heads up of what happened last March, the progress and repercussions of what has come from that, and what we're looking forward to with St. Patrick's Day approaching,” said Dodge.

Last year, St. Patrick's Day fell on a Saturday that had abnormally high temperatures for March. This year's holiday falls on a Sunday and the weather... well... isn't looking so hot.

What might add pressure to the annual festivities are the 35,000 visitors expected to be in the city for the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. The championships' closing Gala Exhibition and final celebrations will be held on March 17.

Duncan estimated that there will be in excess of 100 media outlets here from March 11 to 17, so it's no doubt the city will be under close watch.

Dodge warned those who are planning to party on Fleming Drive to be mindful of the added attention that will be placed on the area. “You are absolutely under a microscope, this is not by choice at this point … when you make international news, you can rest assured that the community is going have the sharpest eye on every little movement.

“Cops will be out there, they know what they're looking for, don't give them anything to look at.”