Why are there so few Thai slang terms for policeman?

[Jane Dough]

I have spent quite a bit of the last four decades learning Thai. I know a fair bit of Thai slang. I just don't seem to know any Thai slang words for policeman, though I know plenty in English! 

 

Why are there so few slang terms for policemen? Or have I just not heard them?

 

Rooster

[digbeth]

there's Ma ta หมาต๋า which is loadword from hokkien/cantonese Chinese, homonym with dog which denigrades them a bit

[myshem]

I am very interested by this one, as when I call them monkey they do not understand why !

[tgeezer]

The original names for policemen were affectionate later the less affectionate terms were possible because of the Rule of Law and Rree Speech which was extant in UK at the time. I don’t think that Thailand ever had either the Rule of Law or Free Speech to the fullest extent so there would be some risk in calling policemen names.


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[geoffbezoz]

Most Thai's I know just generalise and call them  mafia. ????

[digbeth]

The traffic police in their white helmets used to be 'affectionately' known as Ping Pong (balls) head หัวปิงปอง

 

some archaic terms regarding ranks/position is also used

Highway patrol is known as 'sharks' ฉลาม

in the 50's the chief of police was giving honors by themselves to the title of อัศวิน (knights) any police of that rank used to be damn proud and lets you know of it, a famous noodle dish of บะหมี่อัศวิน was coined during the era where the 'knights' would flaunt by being able to afford the 'rich' seafood in the noodle