Oxley Acting Superintendent Jeff Budd was at the helm of Operation Kirkton which saw more than 200 extra officers deployed across the city to police the 10-day festival.

“The figures are the best they’ve been in terms of crowd conduct,” he told The Leader on Monday.

“It is the best and safest festival we have seen particularly given crowd numbers were better on other years.”

According to police, 29 people were issued with tickets or charged with street offences like offensive language and conduct across the CBD.

And, the number of festival-related assaults in Tamworth across the 10 days didn’t reach double figures, police said.

“There were some minor drug detections made, and that was a result of proactive policing strategies that we had in place,” Acting Superintendent Budd said.

“Police also assisted security and venue staff in dealing with numerous intoxicated persons.”

In one instance, a 29-year-old man from Yeoval was asked to leave a Peel St hotel by security staff after he was identified as being intoxicated.

He was later charged with resisting officers, excluded person fail to leave and refusing to comply with a direction after he allegedly failed to quit the hotel, and confronted police and security.

”I think the RSA marshalls are one of the secrets of the festival because they were quick to identify intoxicated people, and I think that those that didn’t want to comply with the staff were met by police and dealt with,” Acting Superintendent Budd said.

”The alcohol free zones are a public safety issue and this is a family-orientated festival, and I think that anyone that thinks they are a bad thing, or who think that drinking in the streets now-a-days is ok is clearly out of touch with reality.”

He said visiting officers enjoyed the festival beat, and they weren’t alone with locals also giving the men and women in blue the thumbs up on social media.

“Every time I was in town or at work I only experienced great things. Many of them laughing and joking with the locals and tourists. I even saw a few dancing to some buskers,” Melinda Cotter posted on Facebook.

“I lost count of how many I saw waving and high-fiving kids. Really impressive,” Kate Groth said.

“My son is scared of police officers, they noticed that he was too scared to walk past them so they came over and talked to him, and showed him their hand cuffs. Then they got a photo with him,” Jessica Louise posted online.