Students warned to avoid Holylands on St Patrick’s Day after 1400 disciplined over three years

From 2013 to 2016, over 1,400 students were disciplined as a result of celebrating St Patrick’s Day in the Holylands, the Irish News has revealed.

Queen’s total came in at 760 over the three years, with their students obviously set on beating their local rivals in another statistic table. Ulster University had a total of 655 students reprimanded over the period for anti-social behaviour.

Punishments for these offences led to 400 cautions, nearly 150 fines and three suspensions at UU, with a further 30 fines and 12 referrals to alcohol education courses for the disciplined QUB students. No one was expelled, though a number of students are believed to have dropped out as a result of the ongoing investigation into their behaviour.

Students are being warned to expect severe punishment by both their university and the PSNI if a complaint is filed against them. They are also being encouraged to avoid the area during the period.

As we reported earlier this week, measures to limit Friday’s chaos are already being put in place. Local off-licences have volunteered to close periodically during the day and the PSNI have already increased their presence in the area. And don’t forget about the anti-social behaviour officer.

It looks like the council are definitely gearing up for a day of mayhem.