Tonga Police
Law enforcement agency
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tonga Police is the national police force of the Kingdom of Tonga.
| Tonga Police | |
|---|---|
| |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1868 |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction |  Tonga |
| General nature | |
| Website | |
| tonga-police | |
Official records first mentioned the position of Minister of Police in 1868, which at the time was held by Kupu a Vanua Veikune who was chosen by King George Tupou I while he was still a student at Tupou College. When the Constitution of Tonga was signed in 1875, the Minister of Police was Tu’uhetoka.[1]
The first Police Act was passed in 1891, which was updated in 1903 and replaced in 1923. A new Police Act was written in 1968 with assistance from the United Kingdom. This Act was later replaced by the Tonga Police Act 2010 which came into force on 2 February 2011.[1] The 2010 Act separated the powers of the Minister of Police and Commissioner of Police, enshrines the philosophy of community policing, and defines the primary role of the Tonga Police.[2][3]
Since Australia and New Zealand intervened in the 2006 Nukuʻalofa riots, Tonga Police have been assisted by the Australian Federal Police through the Tonga-Australia Policing Partnership (TAPP) program.[4][5] Tonga Police sometimes calls upon on the resources of the Australian Federal Police and New Zealand Police.[6] Members of the Australian Federal Police have also served as Commissioner of Tonga Police, including AFP Commander Geoff Turner who was sworn in on 12 May 2025 to serve a three-year term.[7]
Tonga Police also has a police band known as the Royal Tonga Police Band, which was incorporated into the Tonga Police Force in 1951.[8][9]
Tonga Police car ahead of funeral cortege in 2007.
Tonga Police officer (left) in 2003.
.jpg)