Forty-one people were arrested for alleged drunk driving and disorderly conduct mainly in central Nuku’alofa last weekend in the fifth-week of Operation Safe Streets that focuses on preventing alcohol related crimes in Tongatapu.

The arrests were made from August 26-28. Tonga Police reported that the number of arrests decreased slightly from the 49 persons arrested the previous weekend.

Deputy Commissioner Pelenatita Fe’ao Vaisuai said that alcohol is a major contributor to crimes, including disorderly behaviour, violence and road crashes. Over the last few weekends the operation focusing on alcohol  has been successful with the number of arrests going down, indicating a positive response from the public.

“There is risk associated with over consumption of alcohol where poor judgment is made and such persons are likely to end up becoming offenders or victims of crime. Stay safe," she said.

The weekend operations begin on Fridays and ends on Sundays with police targeting certain areas within Nuku'alofa and throughout Tongatapu where alcohol fuelled crime is frequently a problem.