The Kamloops RCMP contended with a rowdy pre-St. Patrick's Day crowd on Saturday as inebriated revellers packed the bars - then the jail cells.
The downtown detachment had an inordinately high number of drunks drying out in their cells Saturday night - nearly two dozen compared to a typical weekend of less than half that figure.
They were detained for a variety of misconduct ranging from being drunk in public to causing a disturbance to physical altercations.
"It was a little heavier than normal for sure," said Sgt. Ed Preto. "My guess is people were out partying more than usual."
He expected the brunt of the partying to take place Saturday night.
Preto said RCMP presence over the weekend included extra uniforms on patrol and crime reduction teams in bars.
