New Caledonia's criminal court has given jail sentences to three men who assaulted police officers in Noumea in September.
Police officers guard the road in Mont-Dore, to the south of New Caledonia's capital, Noumea. The road is frequently closed by armed protesters. Photo: AFP
According to the local newspaper, they were sentenced to between eight and nine months in prison.
The municipal police officers were punched and kicked by a group of five after they asked a driver to stop blocking a parked car.
The incident prompted the mayor of Noumea to say the arming of New Caledonia's municipal police was overdue.
There has been a sharp increase in the number of attacks on police in New Caledonia in recent years, with 35 cases registered last year.
In the past month, five armed police officers suffered gunshot wounds in clashes near Noumea.
