Spokesman denies complaints about queue for police guns

By The Nation

 

 

Royal Thai Police deputy spokesman Pol Colonel Krissana Patanacharoen insisted on Saturday that the Police Ordnance Division was not too crowded, despite about 2,500 police officers per day queuing up to receive their “welfare pistols”.

 

Krissana was speaking to reporters after he inspected the process of handing out the pistols to police officers at the division. He made the inspection after a policeman posted a photo of a long queue on social media to complain about the long wait, saying there should have been better management.

 

Pol Lt-General Tinnapat Pummarin, commissioner of the Police Logistic Office, said his office bought 150,000 Sig Sauer P320SP pistols for police officers to buy for their own use at a subsidised price of B23,890.

 

So far, 40,000 officers have ordered the pistols under the so-called welfare programme.

 

Krissana added that Saturday was the third day that police officers had turned up to receive the pistols.

 

The spokesman said the pistols were handed out at the rate of about 400 per hour. He said each policeman needed to provided documents and a gun-carrying licence for verification. The process took about five minutes for each officer before they could get their pistol from the ordnance division.

Krissana said police had to pick up the welfare pistols in person because the guns had to be kept at the ordnance division in line with the law.

 

He said the division’s compound is not too crowded for waiting officers and that food and drinks were provided for them.

 

He said he has checked and did not find officers jumping the queue as alleged by some Facebook users.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30334643

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-12-23

I hope they are all Policemen waiting to get guns, they bought 150,000

and only 40,000 have taken up the offer, can see an order coming down

where ALL Police have to buy one.

regards worgeordie    Happy Christmas

Buy for their own use is the bit that worries me together with walfare pistols ummm.

Come on, it's Christmas time, Thais too know it's time for presents, and then there's the other cue, of non-policemen, all honest citizens no doubt, waiting to buy the previous 150,000 guns those policemen are selling out... Erm? 

Wouldn't we all love it to hear the police, army, authorities, to tell something, anything, TRUE, just for once? Come on guys, try, just do it, this one time, it's Christmas and New Year's time, and you know, you might even like doing it...

(Ring-ring: Hello? Ah, yes Sir, I understand Sir, you're afraid they'd start liking telling the truth, hmm, yes Sir, I understand you very well Sir, yes, the consequences of such a thing for 'the system', yes Sir, sorry Sir, very sorry, oh, Sir, allow me, while I have you on the phone, which new watch did you choose to put under the Christmas tree this year, ...click, hello, hello, Sir are you still there?)

Edited December 23, 20178 yr by bangrak

Here's a little quiz:

 

What do you call a country that expects its police officers to shell out their own money to purchase hand guns offered under a "welfare" program?

 

Hint: The first word we're looking for is the name of a yellow, elongated, curved fruit, the second word describes a form of statehood. 

Remove the tax for police to buy guns.

13 hours ago, rooster59 said:

So far, 40,000 officers have ordered the pistols under the so-called welfare programme.

Good news! Finally, after all these years, I learned that my understanding of a welfare programme was completely wrong.

13 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Buy for their own use is the bit that worries me together with walfare pistols ummm.

The situation now where every policeman can have a different sidearm in any valid calibre is a logistic nightmare and very expensive for any policeman.

The move from the government to try to supply, for a very low price indeed, the same pistol to all policeman is logistically a good one.

I suppose all pistols are marked, chipped and the imprints of the pistol on the cases and bullets registered, which makes research much easier.

The fact only 40,000 officers have signed up till now might be because most are still paying off their original sidearms that were priced much too high.

13 hours ago, bangrak said:

Come on, it's Christmas time, Thais too know it's time for presents, and then there's the other cue, of non-policemen, all honest citizens no doubt, waiting to buy the previous 150,000 guns those policemen are selling out... Erm? 

All those 150,000 guns are registered on the person.

I presume some will be sold to other registered gunowners, some will be kept for reserve, and some might end up in the illegal circuit.

But, as in any country in the world, even those with the strictest gunlaws, the illegal possession and use of firearms is frightening.

And nearly impossible to change.

Anywhere in the world.

We have to live with the fact.

13 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Pol Lt-General Tinnapat Pummarin, commissioner of the Police Logistic Office, said his office bought 150,000 Sig Sauer P320SP pistols for police officers to buy for their own use at a subsidised price of B23,890.

So far, 40,000 officers have ordered the pistols under the so-called welfare programme.

This could only be Thailand. Why do Thais have to make an absolute balls-up of just about everything? In any other civilised country, as I understand, police firearms are issued as part of the signed for equipment to each individual officer. Given that these new pistols were to replace the old ones, the fact that thousands of officers wanted guns at the same time was understandable. It's the stupid and utterly time-wasting queuing that gets me. Why the hell couldn't the regional commanders arrange for strictly monitored quantities of the Sig Sauers to be collected by each station superintendent, and held securely until each individual officer had managed to stump-up the cash? And what, then, happens to the old gun . . . just allowed to find its way into the community/criminal black market? The old guns should have been handed in and rendered harmless by a simple cut of an angle-grinder.

 

As it is, there will soon be 150,000 extra guns, probably almost being given away to 'friends' and drinking pals. Before long, every minor domestic is going to be sorted by a shot from an ex cop gun. Maybe that's why they're called 'welfare pistols' . . . shoot the troublesome drunk and no need for police action or compensation haggling . . . sorted.

Thai top-end decision-making is an utter disgrace.

 

 

Meanwhile, the army, air force and navy are pursuing their very own "welfare programs" which, for example, fit them out with insanely expensive yet utterly useless submarines. The only distinct difference is that they do not have to pay for that hardware from their own pockets.

Supposedly subsidised, maybe compared to other guns in Thailand. But you can buy one privately in the USA for similar price or less as an individual. If you buy 150,000 i would presume a substantial discount. But i guess that would stick to someone's fingers ......