Thousands of fans and hundreds of players and coaches from across the province were in Prince Rupert last week for the 55th Annual All Native Basketball Tournament, but RCMP say there were no major incidents despite the influx of people.
"It was extremely uneventful over the weekend and the week leading up to it ... we were definitely manned and ready for the large number of people, but nothing really happened," said Const. Lesley Smith of North District Media Relations.
"We believe this was, in part, due to the lower number of participants as some communities had to cancel and some fans stayed home due to weather and deaths in their village."
Const. Matt Ericson of the Prince Rupert RCMP said calls during the All Native Basketball Tournament dropped from 297 in 2013 to 206 in 2014 and attributed to drop not only to fewer participants, but to the weather and increased police presence.
Crime during the All Native Basketball Tournament was brought up as a concern of city council in early December and was a catalyst for council seeking funding to address issues arising at major events in Prince Rupert.