If you are stopped by traffic police @ Pattaya

[KhunBENQ]

23 hours ago, tropo said:

I've seen a person ticketed for not having a photocopy of their green book

 

23 hours ago, tropo said:

hey may ticket you for having your rear foot rests down without a passenger

And then?

It's in the law and yes, if they want to find something they will dig deep.

Is that so different in your home country?

 

I had about eight(?) tickets/bribes over more than 10 years.

Speeding (+8 or +15 km/h), jumping yellow light on a turn, forbidden left turn on red, driving around the bus terminal while forbidden during some hours.

One jumping red light was indeed "unfair".

They had installed a light in the middle of nowhere some 200m before another light at a crossing.

It jumped quickly, guess they had a binocular and a button

Long time I was riding motorbike in Pattaya only having a Thai car DL.

Caught, 500 Baht bribe on the spot, saving me the evening.

Now have a proper license and never been checked again.

[talahtnut]

15 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

No, my wording was probably not clear.

Look here:

 

You want to turn left like the pickup in the picture.

There is a frontage road and a main path.

On red you are allowed to turn to the frontage road only.

On green you may turn left directly to the main path.

OK, it's pretty obvious but I was dumb enough to turn to the main path with a cop sitting at the corner.

Unfortunately I don't have a clear picture of the white/blue sign at the corner to read what it says.

Perfectly ok ,unless you see a policeman, or are driving an elephant

Perfectly ok if you are Thai.

 

[tropo]

On 3/4/2018 at 3:14 PM, stanleycoin said:

Now look here you.  been here 20 years and seen most idiots on the roads Thais and Falngs, you suggesting i am naive, is just you showing how arrogant you are. 

 

Can you tell us how many tickets you have had in your time here.

and how many were just the police making charges up against you ?

 

I have had tickets here and all were the result of me doing wrong.

i pay the fine and go on my way if i can,   if not, go down the cop shop and pay.

money will still go same place what ever.

 

Maybe you should start a poll about police issuing false ticket to people.

think you and a few others would lose on the ratings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Or is it a case, that you have an axe to grind at the police over other issues ?   there are a few on the pattaya forum that have.

same as a few think rules and regulations don't apply to them as its not like that in there home country. 

 

16

 I have not been discussing fines, but how payments are made. Go back and read the post I made about a bunch of cops with laminated cards, showing over double the price of the real fine. Either you didn't read it or you think I'm making it up.

 

You obviously feel it's ok to pay cash to cops on the spot because this is the main topic here.

 

As for you - see no evil, hear no evil. Everything is fine the way it is.

Edited March 5, 2018 by tropo

[tropo]

4 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

 

And then?

It's in the law and yes, if they want to find something they will dig deep.

Is that so different in your home country?

 

 

1

Since you bring up home country. Yes, it is very different. We don't get stopped for random inspections unless it's a breath test, in which case you don't have to produce your license unless you fail.

[norrska]

5 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

No, my wording was probably not clear.

Look here:

 

You want to turn left like the pickup in the picture.

There is a frontage road and a main path.

On red you are allowed to turn to the frontage road only.

On green you may turn left directly to the main path.

OK, it's pretty obvious but I was dumb enough to turn to the main path with a cop sitting at the corner.

Unfortunately I don't have a clear picture of the white/blue sign at the corner to read what it says.

Isn't there a more appropriate word than "main path"; how about "main roadway"?

[talahtnut]

20 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

No, my wording was probably not clear.

Look here:

 

You want to turn left like the pickup in the picture.

There is a frontage road and a main path.

On red you are allowed to turn to the frontage road only.

On green you may turn left directly to the main path.

OK, it's pretty obvious but I was dumb enough to turn to the main path with a cop sitting at the corner.

Unfortunately I don't have a clear picture of the white/blue sign at the corner to read what it says.

Might be simpler to get the wife or GF drive.

[KhunBENQ]

52 minutes ago, norrska said:

Isn't there a more appropriate word than "main path"; how about "main roadway"?

English is not my first language.

[KhunBENQ]

1 hour ago, tropo said:

We don't get stopped for random inspections

In Germany there is always the chance of a check point.

Sure they mostly point to DUI (particularly at night) and speeding (writing reports on the spot).

But they inspect the car documents and if your rims are a centimeter to wide, your exhaust too loud etc. then they grab you...

Although they are overwhelmed with other tasks nowadays.

[tropo]

3 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

In Germany there is always the chance of a check point.

Sure they mostly point to DUI (particularly at night) and speeding (writing reports on the spot).

But they inspect the car documents and if your rims are a centimeter to wide, your exhaust too loud etc. then they grab you...

Although they are overwhelmed with other tasks nowadays.

In Australia, speeding and red light jumping are taken care in the mail. A spot check is highly unlikely unless there is some obvious defect of your vehicle.

 

That makes it hard to compare our home countries with Thailand unless you know about the specific home country in the comparison. If you're used to regular stops/checks in Germany, then I suppose you feel right at home in Pattaya.

 

In Pattaya, if you ride around a lot, you're likely to get stopped more than once a day. I've been stopped 4 times in a day. They often set up on back streets too. Sometimes if they are busy I get waived through.

[talahtnut]

15 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

In Germany there is always the chance of a check point.

Sure they mostly point to DUI (particularly at night) and speeding (writing reports on the spot).

But they inspect the car documents and if your rims are a centimeter to wide, your exhaust too loud etc. then they grab you...

Although they are overwhelmed with other tasks nowadays.

Yeah, much the same in UK, check papers, check car, dip tank.

Cameras everywhere on road tracking cars. Driving in Thailand is a

hell of a lot easier.

[moe666]

On 11/23/2017 at 7:52 AM, jacko45k said:

Paying on the spot is obviously a bribe.

The usual process is he keeps your driving licence and you go off with the ticket to the police station and pay the fine. A pain as there is nowhere to park!

No paying on the spot is not always a bribe I have been given tickets and paid on the spot at road blocks. I prefer the on the spot 200 bhat payment myself. I am not hung up about making Thailand an honest country

[tropo]

1 minute ago, moe666 said:

No paying on the spot is not always a bribe I have been given tickets and paid on the spot at road blocks. I prefer the on the spot 200 bhat payment myself. I am not hung up about making Thailand an honest country

At a roadblock I came across recently they were asking 1000 baht for fines that only cost 400 at the police station. They had the prices prominently displayed on laminated cards. They didn't offer tickets. Unlike in past years where this type of corruption was hidden or low-key, it is now blatant and in your face.

[moe666]

6 minutes ago, tropo said:

At a roadblock I came across recently they were asking 1000 baht for fines that only cost 400 at the police station. They had the prices prominently displayed on laminated cards. They didn't offer tickets. Unlike in past years where this type of corruption was hidden or low-key, it is now blatant and in your face.

Yes had that happen in Chiang Mai they wanted 400b for some infringement, I ask ok I go to court how much he said 400b. I  had a big laff and told the guy ok I go to court plenty of time today but I will give you 200b. He went and talked to his friend and came back ok 200b, I paid up and was gone

[tropo]

7 minutes ago, moe666 said:

Yes had that happen in Chiang Mai they wanted 400b for some infringement, I ask ok I go to court how much he said 400b. I  had a big laff and told the guy ok I go to court plenty of time today but I will give you 200b. He went and talked to his friend and came back ok 200b, I paid up and was gone

 Yes, at least cash payments are negotiable LOL.

[tropo]

5 hours ago, moe666 said:

No paying on the spot is not always a bribe I have been given tickets and paid on the spot at road blocks. I prefer the on the spot 200 bhat payment myself. I am not hung up about making Thailand an honest country

Regarding what to call on-the-spot payments. Are they fines? No. Are they bribes? No. They are a tax-free personal income for the boys in brown, and for the customers (which is what they really are), they are a quick escape. The police are well aware that many people don't want to go through the hassle of paying at the police station and can be easily coaxed into paying cash on the spot. Before anyone gets too upset, note I used the word "people", because it's not only foreigners who pay these guys on the street. What percentage are foreigners you may ask? I don't know - take a guess.

 

Regarding the new situation near T21. You get a hand-written logo on the palm of your hand. No receipt. It's like a nightclub entry stamp - to be used if you get pulled over again that night LOL. You can ride hassle free until you wash the stamp off.

Edited March 5, 2018 by tropo

[stanleycoin]

This is a hard one, but will give it a go.

 

1)Keep your vehicle in good condition.

2) Don't brake the rules and regulations.

3) If you do brake the rules,  don't pay more than the genuine fine rate.

( yes it may spoil your day , big deal ). if you don't like it, refer to rules 1 and 2 

4) Don't listen to much to what some Tv posters will tell you. they forgot rules 1 and 2

ass well.

 

Oh the injustice of it all. but i hear them all loud and clear.

 

Funny i don't have any grudge against the cops in regards to my transgressions of the rules, as i remember rules 1 and 2.

and just take it on the chin, if i do bad.

I do believe you can lodge a formal complaint in Bangkok,  if anyone feels they have had money extorted out of them, on false trumped up charges,  but that requires time, effort and true determination, and some uncertainty of a good result. 

not the trate of the average moaner on Tv sitting on a bar stool.

banging replies out in between beer Changs.

 

Happy riding and driving in pattaya, well for most of us.

 

Ps just a quick tip to stop the money flow to the cops.

If you have a tax disc under your bike seat or in one of those little tubes. they can,  if they wish nick you for it, as a tax disc should be fully on display at all times, a friend, got that one last year in bangkok. i to have a tax disc in a tube,  so yes they could nick me for it if they wish. Please this is just a friendly tip, i'm not interested in discussing this issue, its a bit like the foot peg issue.

 

One more tip

if you get one of those black stamps on your hand, don't rub your forehead with that hand it makes you look a right plonker when sitting in the bars. 

 

 

Edited March 5, 2018 by stanleycoin

[tropo]

12 hours ago, stanleycoin said:

This is a hard one, but will give it a go.

 

1)Keep your vehicle in good condition.

2) Don't brake the rules and regulations.

3) If you do brake the rules,  don't pay more than the genuine fine rate.

( yes it may spoil your day , big deal ). if you don't like it, refer to rules 1 and 2 

4) Don't listen to much to what some Tv posters will tell you. they forgot rules 1 and 2

ass well.

 

Oh the injustice of it all. but i hear them all loud and clear.

 

Funny i don't have any grudge against the cops in regards to my transgressions of the rules, as i remember rules 1 and 2.

and just take it on the chin, if i do bad.

I do believe you can lodge a formal complaint in Bangkok,  if anyone feels they have had money extorted out of them, on false trumped up charges,  but that requires time, effort and true determination, and some uncertainty of a good result. 

not the trate of the average moaner on Tv sitting on a bar stool.

banging replies out in between beer Changs.

 

Happy riding and driving in pattaya, well for most of us.

 

Ps just a quick tip to stop the money flow to the cops.

If you have a tax disc under your bike seat or in one of those little tubes. they can,  if they wish nick you for it, as a tax disc should be fully on display at all times, a friend, got that one last year in bangkok. i to have a tax disc in a tube,  so yes they could nick me for it if they wish. Please this is just a friendly tip, i'm not interested in discussing this issue, its a bit like the foot peg issue.

 

One more tip

if you get one of those black stamps on your hand, don't rub your forehead with that hand it makes you look a right plonker when sitting in the bars. 

 

 

This thread was started as a request for information on what's going on with cops.

 

As you have obviously forgotten the topic, allow me to repeat the OP:

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What is the new practice and "fees" ?

 

Do you still have to pay on the spot ?  Or do they make you pay at police station before you can proceed driving ?  Or they issue a summon and you can pay another day ?

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Instead of offering information to answer the question, you keep waffling on about how one shouldn't have a problem if one obeys the law.

 

This is all beside the point because the OP was asking what happens if you have already been stopped for some offense. As you made quite clear, and I agree, they can usually find something if they are looking hard enough. Sometimes they look really hard, other times they focus on more obvious offenses like no helmet.

 

You've turned it into a thread about moaning. You're moaning about the moaners.

 

All I'm doing is answering the OP's question and giving up to date info on what the BIB are up to these days. Having said that, it would seem you've received more tickets than I have over the years. 

 

 

 

[Pattaya46]

2 hours ago, tropo said:

This thread was started as a request for information on what's going on with cops.

As you have obviously forgotten the topic, allow me to repeat the OP:

Quote

If you are stopped by traffic police @ Pattaya

what is the new practice and "fees" ?

 

Do you still have to pay on the spot ?  Or do they make you pay at police station before you can proceed driving ?  Or they issue a summon and you can pay another day ?

 

The correct answer is: None of these options. 

In fact the Policeman will just check that you have the required documents (DL, insurance...) and respect the basic rules. Then he will give them back to you and will wish you a good trip. 

 

Of course, if you do not respect Thai laws you may get a ticket and will have to go to the Police Station to pay the fine. 

Trying to pay directly the Policeman could be seen as attempted corruption and could cost you another fine 

 

[tropo]

1 hour ago, Pattaya46 said:

Trying to pay directly the Policeman could be seen as attempted corruption and could cost you another fine 

 

 

Seriously? Cops are giving out fines for paying fines in cash. 5555

 

In most cases, in the tourist areas, it's the police attempting to coax cash from their "customers". In their desperate attempts to get cash, they even bargain with them.

 

I don't know about real Thailand where no foreigners hang out. Are they charging customers for bribing officers?

 

 

[Pattaya46]

10 hours ago, tropo said:

In most cases, in the tourist areas, it's the police attempting to coax cash from their "customers". In their desperate attempts to get cash, they even bargain with them.

 

You probably already wrote hundreds (or thousands?) post criticizing the Police, but I have 2 regular checkpoint at each extremity of my road, and fact is that it's many many years that I did not see a policeman accepting money there ! They all give you a ticket to be paid at the Police Station.

 

I am not stupid enough to say that it never happens anymore, but clearly Pattaya City and the Junta made a good work in past years to reduce hugely these old practices. Most of your critics are not valid anymore nowadays... IMHO 

[tropo]

8 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

 

You probably already wrote hundreds (or thousands?) post criticizing the Police, but I have 2 regular checkpoint at each extremity of my road, and fact is that it's many many years that I did not see a policeman accepting money there ! They all give you a ticket to be paid at the Police Station.

 

I am not stupid enough to say that it never happens anymore, but clearly Pattaya City and the Junta made a good work in past years to reduce hugely these old practices. Most of your critics are not valid anymore nowadays... IMHO 

(Please tell us more about the fines people are getting for paying cash as you didn't bother clarifying that issue. You said if they pay cash they may get another fine for trying to corrupt an officer)

 

Go back and read my recent report about what a large group of cops are up to near T21. Then we can continue this discussion and you can tell me how great those cops are.

 

You didn't see any cops being paid cash, as you are watching them 24/7. LOL. I remember on one occasion I had to go across the road and pay a person that wasn't dressed in uniform. I was out with a group of friends and we tried 3-up. I preferred paying cash on this occasion as I didn't want to spoil the night by traveling to Soi 9. At the place I mentioned near T21 the cash exchange is done INSIDE the police box so that people like you don't see what's going on.

 

To make it even more confusing for you, some police checks are genuine and not targeting foreigners.

 

If you think the situation is improving, you're living in LaLa Land.

Edited March 7, 2018 by tropo

[champken]

11 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

 

You probably already wrote hundreds (or thousands?) post criticizing the Police, but I have 2 regular checkpoint at each extremity of my road, and fact is that it's many many years that I did not see a policeman accepting money there ! They all give you a ticket to be paid at the Police Station.

 

I am not stupid enough to say that it never happens anymore, but clearly Pattaya City and the Junta made a good work in past years to reduce hugely these old practices. Most of your critics are not valid anymore nowadays... IMHO 

I do my best to avoid police checkpoints because mostly they are nothing more than shakedowns, however, in the last say 6 months i have paid at least 3 bribes to men in uniform who asked if i would prefer to go down to soi 9 or pay a smaller fee there and then and be on my way, so believe me, old practices are still going on. I will say that on my last stop the cop asked me if i lived here and if i had a Thai baby, so either he had seen me around with my son on my scooter and or needed to establish that i was not a tourist because that was who he was targeting..

[Rimmer]

An off topic troll post and a reply have been removed

[stanleycoin]

On 3/4/2018 at 2:34 PM, tropo said:

 

 I've been stopped for offenses I didn't commit just because these corrupt cops were a little bit overzealous in their search for cash.

 

Can you tell us what these Trumped up charges were and when ?

also what you did about it ?

 

I have had 3 tickets in 20 years, all for braking the rules and regulations.

none were false charges,   i was a witness to a speeding offense 15 years ago on the expressway out of pattaya,  that was debatable, but what the heck,
Thanks Stan 

 

Edited March 9, 2018 by stanleycoin

[MrPatrickThai]

On 3/7/2018 at 12:00 AM, tropo said:

Seriously? Cops are giving out fines for paying fines in cash. 5555

 

In most cases, in the tourist areas, it's the police attempting to coax cash from their "customers". In their desperate attempts to get cash, they even bargain with them.

 

I don't know about real Thailand where no foreigners hang out. Are they charging customers for bribing officers?

 

 

No they are not. The policeman is the one that would get fined.

[talahtnut]

15 hours ago, MrPatrickThai said:

No they are not. The policeman is the one that would get fined.

Yes they are, according to Section 144, the punishment that may be imposed for the bribing an official is imprisonment up to 5 years or a fine of 10,000 THB, or both. This includes even the offering of a bribe to a policeman or other official can result in jail time.

[tropo]

2 hours ago, talahtnut said:

Yes they are, according to Section 144, the punishment that may be imposed for the bribing an official is imprisonment up to 5 years or a fine of 10,000 THB, or both. This includes even the offering of a bribe to a policeman or other official can result in jail time.

Except it's the cops asking for the cash on the streets of Pattaya, in which case the cop is breaking the law. They don't only ask, they encourage on-the-spot payment.

 

I have never seen one report about anyone being busted under Section 144. Do you have any?

[tropo]

3 hours ago, stanleycoin said:

Can you tell us what these Trumped up charges were and when ?

also what you did about it ?

 

I have had 3 tickets in 20 years, all for braking the rules and regulations.

none were false charges,   i was a witness to a speeding offense 15 years ago on the expressway out of pattaya,  that was debatable, but what the heck,
Thanks Stan 

 

Hi Stan... I thought we were done. Remember? A moderator deleted your last post rife with cute baby photos. I'll do us both a favour and ignore you from now one. Happy posting!

[bkk6060]

9 minutes ago, tropo said:

Except it's the cops asking for the cash on the streets of Pattaya, in which case the cop is breaking the law. They don't only ask, they encourage on-the-spot payment.

 

I have never seen one report about anyone being busted under Section 144. Do you have any?

Not always.

I have initiated payment by politely asking" can I take care of this now".

Wham, bam, finished on my way.

 

[tropo]

27 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Not always.

I have initiated payment by politely asking" can I take care of this now".

Wham, bam, finished on my way.

 

Fair enough. I'm happy to hear you didn't cop a 10,000 baht fine and 2 years in prison for attempting to bribe a police officer LOL

 

I've only paid on-the-spot twice and they were always the ones asking. As I usually prefer tickets, I don't ask. The last time (a few months ago) they were suggesting that's the only way and they didn't even have ticket books. He rushed me inside the mini police station and salivated as I opened my wallet LOL. I normally pay at the police station, but this was more convenient at the time.

 

 

Edited March 9, 2018 by tropo