The beaches of Buntzen Lake were soaked in booze after the Coquitlam RCMP dealt with a staggering 225 liquor pour outs at the park over the weekend.
Coquitlam RCMP Jamie Chung said despite the fact police have stepped up patrols at local parks and beaches, more people are still consuming alcohol in public. He added that since he has been with the detachment he has never seen so many liquor offences in one weekend.
"Last year we did not see that high a number of pour outs," he said. "Even in the last few weekends before this last one, the numbers were a lot lower."
On top of the 225 pour outs, police also issued 16 tickets for liquor related offences and removed 30 people from the park for rowdy or unrule behaviour, he said.
Despite the numbers, Const. Chris Nordlun of the Coquitlam RCMP's Rural Section said most people come to the beach barbecue and enjoy time with their families.
The number of people who bring booze to local parks and beaches is relatively small, but they seem to bring large amounts of alcohol with them, he said.
"We came across six young men who were launching two canoes into the lake and they had 72 beers with them," he said. "Speaking of disaster waiting to happen, not one of them had a life jacket."
He added that 40% of all drowning incidents involve alcohol consumption and beach-goers should leave the booze at home when they head to the water.
Of the 397 drowning deaths that occurred in B.C. between 2008 and 2012, more than 50% (200) were involved in recreational activities such as boating or swimming. Another 175 (44.1%) were falls into water, motor vehicle accidents where vehicles landed in water or deaths in bathtubs. The last 5.5% were occupational accidents.
NATIONAL DROWNING PREVENTION WEEK
This weekend will mark the last few days of Drowning Prevention Week, an effort launched by the Life Saving Society to draw attention to drowning deaths and water safety.
The week runs from July 20 to July 28 and encourages beach-goers to be cautious around the water and make sure swimmers know their limitations.
According to the B.C. Coroners Service, between 2008 and 2012, 58.7% of drowning deaths occurred between May and August. Eighty-one per cent of drowning victims were male and alcohol was a contributing factor in 40.2% of cases.
The society recommends that people who are not able to swim should stay out of the water. Flotation devices should be worn at all times and people should not assume they will have time to put a lifejacket on when an incident occurs.
