Police in both Masset and Queen Charlotte had busy but relatively uneventful New Year's eves.
In Queen Charlotte, police chose to do random road checks along the highway between Queen Charlotte and Skidegate rather than setting up a roadblock. One woman was charged with impaired driving, and another woman received a 24-hour suspension.
In the early afternoon of January 1, police received a complaint about some damage done in Tlell on New Year's Eve. A car parked outside Sitka Studio in Richardson Road had two tires punctured with a sharp object. No suspects at this time, but police are investigating. And police had praise for the community hall dance. "The family dance at the community hall was excellent," says Sgt. Darcy Gollan. "It was very encouraging to see families out and kids having a good time in an environment with no alcohol. Congratulations to the organizers."
In Masset, police were busier with 17 arrests, but overall they are happy with how the New Year was rung in.
All 17 arrests were liquor related. Cst. Walkinshaw says most were preventative. However, this year they were all minor, and very few charges are in the works.
"To put it in perspective, Victoria's police force made 53 arrests while Masset's six person detachment made 17 arrests, so we were busy," says Cst. Walkinshaw.
Police tried to set up a couple of roadblocks in the Masset area, but had to disband them for more serious incidents. Police responded to complaints of loud parties and disturbances, and also came across disturbances while on patrol.
Police received one complaint of a loud party in Port Clements, but never made it south to investigate because they were too busy.