It was busy homecoming weekend for local RCMP.

Between 5 p.m. on Friday evening and Sunday at 7 a.m., Antigonish RCMP issued 65 liquor control act summary offence tickets (SOTs) including 42 for illegal possession, 13 for illegal consumption over 19 and four for illegal consumption under the age of 19, and six for intoxicated un public. A release from the RCMP noted officers issued a female student a liquor control act ticket after the student walked into the RCMP detachment parking lot with open liquor.

Police also lodged 12 intoxicated people in cells, issued three noise by-law tickets, and eight motor vehicle act tickets. The total calls for service and files created relating to homecoming is 100.

Antigonish RCMP Sgt. Warren MacBeath said there was more student foot traffic in town but it in concentrated areas rather than spread out across town as has been the case in previous years.

At face value, said MacBeath, police were busier than in previous years but it was mostly for liquor related offences, adding there was  lot more blatant public alcohol consumption this year. The 65 liquor control act tickets were up from 27 over the same period last year.

MacBeath said he expects police will meet with a homecoming working group that includes representatives from the university, the student union, EHS, St. Martha’s, the landlords association, and municipal councils, by the end of October.

While police said there were no reported assaults, they did respond to a couple of minor mischief complaints involving theft or damage to street and political signs.