9 Jan 2019

Tonga police make over 270 arrests over holidays

4:38 pm on 9 January 2019

Police in Tonga are claiming a successful holiday operation with no deaths from crime or road accidents and 271 arrests.

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Photo: RNZ Pacific / Koro Vaka'uta

The 13 day Christmas and New Year Operation saw police visibility raised throughout the country, particularly in key target areas.

Drunk people were also removed from public places and there was a crack down on liquor licensees who breached their conditions.

Out of the 271 arrests, 20 were related to drugs and 42 were for drunk driving.

Police said criminal offences decreased by 19 percent when compared with the same period the previous year.

The biggest decreases came in offences such as common assault, theft and housebreaking.