Editorial – In May 2025, Tonga Police charged 14 civilians for gathering at a bush area in Mataki’eua, citing public drunkenness, loud music, and disorderly behaviour as serious concerns.
The group of approximately 130 people had gathered overnight in Mataki’eua, prompting swift police intervention and public statements from the Ministry of Police emphasising the importance of law and order. Roadblocks were later set up around the area to prevent further social gatherings.
Yet, just three months later, in August 2025, a court ruling exposed a deeply troubling contradiction: several off-duty Police officers themselves had been involved in a drunken incident in Sopu in January 2024 — an event far more serious in nature.
The court found that on the evening of January 27, 2024, a group of police officers consumed alcohol during a dinner celebration at Popua Park.
Later that night, they continued drinking at the Reload Bar in Nuku’alofa until it closed around midnight.
Following this, they drove to Sopu for what has been “euphemistically” described as “a drink-up.”
The Police officers had been drinking heavily and were so intoxicated that their testimonies were deemed unreliable, according to court documents.
One officer admitted to consuming 24 bottles of beer before driving, while others rated their drunkenness between 5 and 10 on a scale where 10 meant completely drunk.
Court documents reveal that one of the police officers admitted to the judge that he had been driving a motor vehicle while completely unfit to do so due to the amount of alcohol he had consumed.
During the “drink up”, two police officers were reportedly injured following an alleged assault by their colleagues.
Two officers were subsequently charged with causing serious bodily harm and common assault.
However, the court acquitted both, citing a lack of evidence to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
In his ruling, Justice Paul Garlick KC said: “It is impossible to say how the events at Sopu turned from a “drink up” into a violent incident. Reluctantly, I am driven to make a finding of fact that I cannot rely upon the evidence of any of the police officers as accurate or reliable. I have reached this conclusion for three reasons. First, it is abundantly clear that they were all completely incapacitated as a result of the amount of alcohol they had consumed. Secondly, I cannot be sure that their evidence is fair and unbiased, rather than being based upon their concern to justify their conduct and to support their colleague who was injured in the drunken melee that blew up into an incident which was undoubtedly fuelled by alcohol, together with an abandonment of the sort of conduct that one would rightly expect of police officers, whether on duty or off-duty.”
The Judge stated that Sopu is a public place, and therefore, the police should not have been consuming alcohol there.
The irony is difficult to ignore. Police issued official statements warning the public and highlighting the seriousness of civilian misconduct during the Mataki’eua gathering. The Minister of Police even addressed the media, expressing concern over public drinking and dancing—and many of those involved were swiftly prosecuted.
Meanwhile, there has been no comparable level of public concern or accountability shown by the Ministry regarding the conduct of police officers involved in that violent, alcohol-fuelled incident in Sopu.
These officers, who are expected to uphold the law, have not faced any publicly disclosed disciplinary action, despite the court ruling in August 2025 that found their evidence unreliable due to extreme intoxication.
The court’s findings not only cast doubt on the officers’ credibility but also raise serious questions about double standards and accountability within the force.
If the law, transparency and accountability to the public are to be respected, they must be applied equally — especially by those who enforce them.
