Results for Police and Crime

Five weeks after the riots that destroyed about 80% of the Nuku'alofa business centre, the Deputy Police Commander, Taniela Faletau said today, that there was still a lot of criminal investigation work to do to bring those who were responsible to justice.

By this morning, the Tonga Police had arrested a total of 702 suspects involved in the violent riot that destroyed central Nuku'alofa on November 16.

Some 638 suspects were arrested and over 500 have been charged by the Tonga Police for arson, theft and other offences relating to their participation in the destruction of the Nuku'alofa business centre on November 16.

Police have identified the remains of one of the seven people who are known to have died in the fire that gutted the Shoreline Building set alight by arsonists on November 16.

Twelve days after the destruction of the Nuku'alofa business center on Thursday, November 16, police today confirmed that seven bodies were found at the gutted Shoreline building.

Five days after the destruction of the Nuku'alofa business center on Thursday, November 16, police have confirmed that only six bodies have been found and not eight as was previously reported.

A rioting crowd has trashed property in central Nuku'alofa leaving the central supermarket Molisi Tonga in a tangled mess of broken glass and the streets smelling of spilled beer as looters joined rioters in a spree of destruction shortly after 3.30 pm today. Story and pictures by Mary Lyn Fonua, Linny Folau and Pesi Fonua

Only four people have died on Tonga's roads so far this year - the lowest road toll in three years - but, tragically, in 2005 the victims were children who were hit while crossing the road, while the number of non-fatal road accidents has increased on previous years.

There were explosions in central Nuku'alofa early this morning as four government vehicles burned in the parking lot of the Revenue Services Division, in a suspected arson attack.