Are condominium security guards being vetted sufficiently before assignments?

[webfact]

File photo for reference only

 

After several recent attacks on tenants by security guards, many condominium residents have been left in fear.

 

As more people are having to work from home because of Covid-19, safety at condominiums must be prioritised. 

 

Working like this can be stressful, however, to have to also worry about safety is not acceptable.

 

The two attacks, which were only days apart, have raised concerns about condominium security protection and the recruitment of guards, especially since one of the attackers was one.

 

These two recent attacks on tenants, one of them fatal, in condominiums have set off alarm bells about safety in these buildings and the kind of people employed to protect them.

Women fatally knifed

 

Early on Boxing Day, a 23-year-old part-time warehouse worker was stabbed in her condominium in Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan.

 

Allegedly a male tenant, identified as Natthachai Art-samart, 31, admitted to police that he attacked the young woman with a knife as he tried to force his way into her room.

 

She suffered a deep cut to her leg which bled heavily. She struggled in vain to get help and died due to blood loss outside the condominium’s lift.

 

The killer said he intended to rape and steal from her, according to police.

 

Then on January 4th Montri Yaikrathok, 41, a head security guard, raped a woman inside her room in a condominium in Phetkasem Soi 47 in Bang Kae district of Bangkok.

 

Later, it emerged that checks by police confirmed he had been convicted of raping a minor in his home province of Sa Kaeo back in 2013.

 

He had served a jail sentence and was then released from prison four years ago before landing a job as head of security at this condominium.

After the January 4th rape, he fled but was apprehended in Sa Kaeo two days later. He admitted to having sexually assaulted the woman while under the influence of drugs. He has since been charged with rape and drug abuse.

 

Major security concerns

 

Many condominiums are currently fairly empty as local tenants have returned home, or overseas owners are unable to occupy their apartment due to travel restrictions.

 

This leaves the remaining tenants very vulnerable to theft and attacks.

 

Pol Maj Gen Rungroj Thakoonpunyasiri, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB), said changes to how security guards are recruited and how they go about their work were in order.

 

He plans to propose to the MPB commissioner that all security guards be trained by police in basic security protection.

Background checks to see if guards have criminal records are also vital. 

 

"We need to see these records and interview them to know who they are and what they are capable of," he said.

 

"Most security guards are law-abiding. However, crooks may be hiding among them," Pol Maj Gen Rungroj said, adding security-guard training should be conducted by police in each province.

 

Piyajet Meedech, a former army officer and director of security at the Sam Security Guards Company, said the Security Guard Business Act of 2015 bars anyone jailed for rape from ever obtaining a licence to work as a guard.

 

According to Meedech, the security chief in the Phetkasem case should never have been employed in the first place. 

 

Perhaps he may have bribed someone to secure the job or was recruited before the law came into force when applicant background checks were lax.

 

Condominium juristic persons should automatically hire only reputable security firms and ask local police to check a guard's background.

 

That said it is hard to find staff due to the current pandemic and some staff are likely to be employed without full background checks.

 

These two recent attacks have spurred many condominiums and apartments into ramping up internal security protection.

Female tenants living alone are also strongly advised not to open their doors to strangers and immediately alert the office if they have safety fears.
 

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[JoePai]

No

[Henryford]

It's ironic we pay for the security but they are probably the biggest threat.

[HashBrownHarry]

No chance.

 

Security guards have a massive turnover in most places which means they're either unable to do the job or they've be caught up to no good.

[tingtong]

Security guards seems to have 3 major qualifications:

- young

- men

- work cheap.

 

The previous condo one guard started to " talk" at nights to my girlfriend, coming home alone in the car....and she wasn't comfortable with this situation.

Calling me as to arrive, I went to meet her at the garage, around the 3rd time the guard got the hint, <deleted> off, never bother again.

 

I can see how this can be an issue for young, single women. 

But it isn't not only security guards however.

Somewhat strange in a country where every levels of prostitution quite readily available service.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RandiRona]

As long as they can wear a 'Dress'.

[actonion]

During my years living here  i have known Two ladies,  who on seperate ocassions  that told me they had been raped in the past  by security guards, when i asked did you report  this to the police  they  both replied that the police would'nt believe them  so no point  in any report...

[bkk6060]

It is a position of trust.  I hope they do a full background check, criminal and work history, Interpol, and polygraph exam.

[tomazbodner]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

He plans to propose to the MPB commissioner that all security guards be trained by police in basic security protection.

Background checks to see if guards have criminal records are also vital. 

Is it only me, or is this in the wrong order? First check if they are crooks, then bother to actually train them in security...

[bbko]

Let's face it, being a condo security guard requires little to no special training, always a high probability to only hire someone that didn't graduate past the 9th grade. 

[trainman34014]

They are checked as well as Bus Drivers...........'Can you drive a Bus ?'.....'Yes'.....'Good; take this Bus to Bangkok and back and do it very fast' !

[MyFriend You]

1 hour ago, RandiRona said:

As long as they can wear a 'Dress'.

I watched two guards exchanging uniforms during a shift change............later I asked one if the company provided the uniforms, he said "chai, but we have to pay for them out of our paychecks."   Yuck.

[mtls2005]

Can you fog a mirror. Check.

 

Can you blow a whistle? Check.

 

Can you work 12 hour shifts, seven day per week? Check.

 

Can you sleep standing up? Check.

 

Are you a registered sex offender?

 

 

 

 

[OneMoreFarang]

Let's be realistic, who wants a boring job doing almost nothing and getting paid very little?

And best case after doing that for a couple of years then they might become supervisor with a little more pay and a nicer uniform.

 

Obviously it would be nice to have trained and honest people who take care of security. But who is going to pay them a decent salary?

In my building there are a couple of security ladies. They definitely improve the situation for everybody involved.

[Geoffggi]

This is nothing new, I have been here many years now & when I first came a friend of mine warned me to be careful of security as they will probably turn out to be culprits when things go missing. I didn't want to believe it but I have met several former security guards who later in life have been contraband cigarette sellers and even cigarette sellers that become monks. - Amazing Thailand

[Nickelbeer]

One security guard in Jomtien was always trying to shake me down for beer money. I made the mistake of handing him an occasional beer when I returned from the 7-11.  It evolved to the point where he expected it virtually every day.  This must have filtered down to his superiors because he was transferred to another condo in the chain. It didn't really end there, since he would see me from across the street and run across the road to try to get me to buy him beer. Lesson learned: Don't get chummy with security guards. The current crop at my condo seems very professional. I intend to keep it that way.

[Peterw42]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

several recent attacks

upon further reading becomes

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

two recent attacks

upon further reading appears, one wasn't a guard at all

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

a male tenant

turns out its one security guard

 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

a head security guard

The OP isnt about several recent attacks by security guards, its not about two recent attacks by two security guards, its about one attack by one guard.

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Background checks to see if guards have criminal records are also vital. 

But virtually non-existent.

[BangkokReady]

8 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

'Can you drive a Bus ?'.....'Yes'.....'Good; take this Bus to Bangkok and back and do it very fast' !

"And drink this first."

[BangkokReady]

9 hours ago, actonion said:

During my years living here  i have known Two ladies,  who on seperate ocassions  that told me they had been raped in the past  by security guards, when i asked did you report  this to the police  they  both replied that the police would'nt believe them  so no point  in any report...

Sadly there are some not great attitudes to women and to rape in Thailand.

[kevc]

I thought the only requirement was that you could stay awake for your entire shift 

[Mentors65]

To be fair, it depends from Condo to Condo (management).

Especially in Pattaya

 

[Harveyboy]

been proposed security be trained by police ..why i thought they wanted to improve the personal ..lol

[Harveyboy]

14 hours ago, kevc said:

I thought the only requirement was that you could stay awake for your entire shift 

and be able to put on a high vis and salute