Police officers confiscated around 4,000 items of alcohol during the recent Twelfth of July demonstrations in the North, it was revealed today.
Two thousand unopened beer, spirits, wine and alcopops containers were confiscated with a similar number of opened items poured out by PSNI officers patrolling the parades.
The figures would suggest calls from the Orange Order for spectators to refrain from drinking during the events went largely unheeded by many.
The seizures at the 19 parades across the region follow a police initiative to crack down on public drinking during the summer months.
"The Police Service worked closely with parade and event organisers and other key partners and took a robust approach to underage and on-street drinking," said a PSNI spokesman. "This was borne out by the fact that the day was a broadly peaceful one with notably fewer incidents reported.
"The Police Service will continue to work with a range of partners to build on this success at other key public events throughout the year. This was part of an overall strategy to reduce the consumption of alcohol in
public which often leads to anti-social behaviour and crime."
A spokesman for the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland welcomed the police crackdown and noted that on-street drinking was not a phenomenon confined to Orange events.
"We welcome the action taken by the police and we will continue to work with them on the issue of alcohol," he said. "It is important that the police tackle the issue of on-street drinking at all public events in Northern Ireland. The Orange Order will be playing its part to work with them at its events."