Columbia police in Five Points over the weekend dealt with incidents of public drunkenness and phony identification cards, a Columbia police spokeswoman said Sunday.

However, a more complete statistical breakdown of the numbers and types of Five Points arrests and incidents will be made public by police early this week.

Last week, police Chief Randy Scott and Mayor Steve Benjamin made curbing violence in Five Points a major priority. The popular hospitality district just off the University of South Carolina’s main campus has been the scene of late of beatings, shootings and criminal incidents, especially late on Saturday night and early Sunday mornings.

At those times, especially after football games, the area attracts tens of thousands of college students and other young people, many of whom drink to excess and some of whom are carrying concealed handguns, according to city officials.

Benjamin pledged last week that for the upcoming University of South Carolina-Georgia football game in Columbia Saturday, police would have an “incredible” presence in Five Points. Huge crowds are expected to flood Five Points after that game, scheduled for an evening start.

John Monk