It's a case of ‘so far, so good' for police working this New Year's Eve with the majority of crowds in Mount Maunganui being well behaved.

There have been a small number of alcohol related skirmishes breaking out here and there, but on the whole nothing of major significance, says police Communications Manager Kim Perks.

Police have responded to a small number of alcohol related incidents tonight, but on the whole, crowds in Mount Maunganui tonight have been generally well behaved. Photo: File

'The crowds are building up in the Mount now,” says Kim. 'In general it's been well behaved apart from the usual stuff which we expected when large volumes of people and alcohol are around.

'Tonight got off to a quiet start, which may be due to the weather and it not being as warm as it's been in the past.

Kim says the atmosphere at the moment is pretty friendly and upbeat, so with that in mind police are pretty pleased so far.

There is a visible police presence across the entire city, with all staff in the Western Bay rostered to work, predominantly in the Mount area, Papamoa and The Strand in Tauranga.

Temporary cells have also been established on the Mount this week, with the makeshift holding units on stand-by behind the Police Station on Salisbury Ave.

The processing centre has become something of a regular feature over the festive period, and will house anyone in the area picked up for committing an offence over the next couple of days.

Around 40 people were processed through the interim facility last year – a reduction on previous New Year celebrations – and police are hoping for another decline in numbers this year.