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Victoria police breeze through Symphony Splash

Largest classical music event in Canada causes few problems for VicPD on weekend
Symphony Splash 2013
Upwards of 40

It seems classical music really does have a calming effect on listeners.

The Victoria Police Department went without a single call for service related to the Victoria Symphony Splash on Sunday, a phenomenon not seen with other downtown events, said VicPD spokesperson Const. Mike Russell.

"It's probably the most people that we have downtown with the least amount of problems," he said of the 40,000-person gathering. "The crowd is definitely there to hear the music and enjoy themselves, but not much else."

While VicPD doesn't release exact deployment numbers, Russell said events such as Canada Day require far more officers downtown to deal with issues like public drunkenness and liquor pour-outs.

The most serious police response of the night occurred when a transformer blew around 9:45 p.m., shutting down traffic lights in pockets of the downtown core.

"There was a collision between two motorcycles at Douglas and Chatham because of the power outage (around 10:30 p.m.) and the passenger of one motorcycle was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries," Russell said.

dpalmer@vicnews.com