RCMP say they've cut crime in half in Norway House, Man., this past weekend with a number of arrests made under a new crime-reduction strategy.

Officers with the Manitoba RCMP's Division Action Response Team (DART) held traffic checkstops in and around Norway House over the weekend, in response to growing concerns about impaired driving and alcohol coming into the dry community.

During the three-day blitz, the officers checked 302 vehicles and charged 52 people with infractions under the provincial Liquor Control Act, RCMP said in a release Monday.

Police added that a total of 1,464 beer bottles and cans and 32 bottles of liquor were seized.

One person was charged with impaired driving, two were charged with possessing marijuana, and two 24-hour alcohol-related roadside suspensions were issued.

As well, 42 people were charged under the Highway Traffic Act for not having a valid licence or driving unregistered vehicles, according to police.

The RCMP noted that calls for police service in Norway House went down by more than 50 per cent over the weekend.

"On a typical weekend, Norway House RCMP receive an average of 84 calls for service, usually involving alcohol related violence resulting in several prisoners being lodged," the police force's release states in part.

"This past weekend, during the DART initiative, the RCMP responded to 38 calls for service, with violent offences notably absent."

DART consists of 15 RCMP officers from across the province who are deployed from their regular duties to help proactively tackle public safety issues in specific communities.