POLICE took 23 intoxicated people to the ACT Watch House in Civic’s New Year’s Eve celebrations last night and issued 26 exclusion directions for violent conduct.

“General crowd behaviour in the city was poor, with police responding to numerous fights and incidents of alcohol-related violence resulting in injuries,” says A/Insp Shane Mundie.

Two young people were also taken into custody for alcohol possession, and later returned to the custody of their parents.

Police also conducted 310 roadside breath tests which identified four instances of drink driving, with one driver returning a breath analysis of 0.141.

A/Insp Mundie says the behaviour in Civic was a poor way to begin 2023.

“Police are disappointed with the high number of extremely intoxicated members of the community we observed last night, particularly those who were unable to look after themselves,” he says.

“I understand the past few years with the pandemic have meant New Year’s Eve celebrations may have been quieter than most, but what police saw last night was concerning.

“There will be some people waking up this morning feeling very sore and sorry for themselves, and some will be facing a court date to answer criminal charges.”

Earlier in the evening, an estimated 30,000 people gathered at Lake Burley Griffin for the 9pm fireworks. The number attending the midnight display was far less. No arrests were made, and the lakeside crowd was generally well behaved, police say.