A Molotov cocktail thrown at a Tasmanian police station on Friday night is believed to be linked to investigations into drug trafficking, police say.
Security cameras captured a flaming object being lobbed at the rear carpark of the Launceston Police Station at about 10:50pm on Friday.
Northern District Commander Brett Smith said the "crudely made incendiary device" known as a Molotov cocktail had put lives at risk but nobody was harmed in the incident.
"Those types of devices are purely designed to cause death to people, to maim people and cause significant property damage," he said.
"Very luckily there weren't any people in the compound at the time.
"The damage was limited mostly to some singeing and burning of one of the walls."
About 15 officers, remand centre staff and detainees were at the police headquarters at the time.
"I don't believe there was any real risk other than property damage, however had people been in the car park or close by, they could very well have been killed or seriously injured," Commander Smith said.
He said the target appeared to be two diesel storage tanks that are solidly constructed and posed "little risk" of igniting.
"We strongly condemn the actions, the persons responsible are linked to a group of active criminals which we have been targeting in Launceston in the last few months," he said.
"They deal in drugs, they deal in stolen property and we believe this is some type of response to that.
"It was a very ill-considered, stupid act, it was dangerous."
He said police had already made a number of arrests connected to the drug dealing and stolen property investigation and would not be deterred.
"If anything, it will probably make us work a whole lot harder," he said.
"We will increase security around the station for the time being but we will come aggressively at these who have done this.
"There is no excuse as to why anybody would do such a stupid act.
"They could have also put themselves at risk of injury."
Commander Smith said this was the first incident of its type since a police car was fire-bombed about 20 years ago.
They have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
