POLICE have praised festival crowds for behaviour, with just a handful of arrests recorded on the weekend in Tamworth.
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Forward police commander of the festival, Chief Inspector Peter Atkins told the Leader seven arrests were recorded across Tamworth on Saturday and into Sunday, some of those for domestics or warrants.
He said festival-goers mostly toed the line with one low-range PCA recorded on Saturday night and seven infringements issued.
“There was a fail to quit licensed premises which resulted in a resist police and offensive behaviour,” Chief Inspector Atkins said.
“There was a male detected in possession of a homemade axe which is an offensive implement.
“Overall, I think it was a pretty good result [given the crowds].”
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The operation to police the festival – which has seen a long list of officers join the Tamworth ranks – will come to a close on Monday.
Officers were bracing for another big Sunday night, with pubs able to trade until midnight after a state government exemption.
“Those licensed venues have an exemption to trade until midnight tonight, we've got the police presence in place to take that into consideration,” Chief Inspector Atkins said.
“There is still a lot of visiting police here and we will have a high police presence in and around the CBD while people finish.”
He said overall, the crowd had been well-behaved but warns visitors to be careful when setting off on Monday.
“We're happy with the behaviour of the crowd of both the locals and visitors, a few minor things which is to be expected,” Chief Inspector Atkins said.
“There is still a high police presence and a reminder Operation Safe Arrival has commenced and continues over the weekend into Monday night with double demerits for those safety offences, seatbelts speeding, helmets and mobile phones.
“You can lose 10 points over this weekend if you're detected using a mobile phone while driving.”
Operation Safe Arrival wraps up at midnight on Monday.