The Celebration of Light may be taking place far from the Tri-Cities on Saturday night but local police will also be on alert for partiers getting carried away going to and from downtown Vancouver.
Port Moody Police Department Const. Bill Kim said in light of last month's Stanley Cup riot, officers will be taking a zero-tolerance approach to open liquor and public intoxication.
But he wouldn't say where PoMo cops will be focusing their efforts.
"It is about using some discretion and common sense," he said. "If people are taking liquor downtown and it is capped, that is not a problem. We are talking about open displays of drunkeness, which gets in the way of everyone enjoying themselves and having a good time."
Police from across the region are co-ordinating efforts, Kim said. Officers in outlying municipalities will be able to inform Vancouver police about what types of crowds are coming into the city and what type of behaviour they should expect.
While Kim believes there will be no trouble on Saturday night, he said police wanted to remind the public that they will be out in force.
"We'd like to have the magic ball," he said. "We are talking about thousands of people moving around."
Coquitlam RCMP will also be stepping up its Drinking Driving CounterAttack efforts on Saturday and some additional patrols will be making the rounds.
But Const. John Graham said police do not anticipate any additional problems due to the Vancouver fireworks.
"I don't believe we will have too many issues," he said. "Even the night of the Stanley Cup finals, we didn't have anything really happen out here."
The Celebration of Light is annual fireworks display featuring countries around the world competing for pyrotechnic supremacy at Vancouver's English Bay. This Saturday, China will kick off the contest, followed by Spain on Aug. 3 and Canada on Aug. 6.
TAKE A TRAIN
The West Coast Express will be running a train for the finale on Aug. 6. The train will leave Mission at 7 p.m., stopping at Port Coquitlam Station at 7:37 p.m., Coquitlam Central Station at 7:43 p.m. and Port Moody Station at 7:48 p.m., and arriving at Waterfront Station at 8:15 p.m. The return train will leave Waterfront at midnight.
