Thai Police: is their reputation deserved?

[Watawattana]

So often I see the Thai Police being criticised for one thing or another, or rather for not doing one thing or another.  But is it all their fault, or is there an issue further along the justice system?

 

Where I'm from, I'm not a police nor am I a criminal, but I do know enough people who are to know that often it's not the police who screw up or are too lazy to prosecute, but the issues are more often further up the chain in the faceless prosecution and court services, or are as a result of a crazy government who flip flops on their priority setting or cuts resources.  And especially in the jail system, which is so overcrowded that the authorities want the police to back-off a bit.  The Police would love to have zero tolerance because they know the impact that so-called low-level crime has on communities, but they are not allowed to.

 

Might it be the same in Thailand?

[sqwakvfr]

Poor training and mostly importantly poor pay usually results in poor performance and bad reputation.  In the 1980's the Miami Police Department was paying many of it's officers $18,000 to $21,000.  Hence the corruption(fueled by the drug trade) was rampant.  I retired a long time ago and most agencies that pay it's people a decent or generous wage have few cases of rampant corruption.  I am not hopeful for any major changes in Amazing Thailand and it's police.  

[ezzra]

It is after all a country where corruption and under the table cultr is know for and not for nothing, and when you see

big police general get caught with some shenanigans of all sorts, what the lowly ranking one will think?

if they can do it and get away with it surly us, the little guys can partake too, and none worse than the Immigration

department which is a branch of the police...  

[digbeth]

despite the low pay, ten thousands apply every year for openings of a few thousands position, what kind of people and expected lifestyle would that attracts?

[2baht]

42 minutes ago, Watawattana said:

Might it be the same in Thailand?

Stick around a while and see!

[soalbundy]

Actually I have had only good relationships with the police in Isaan (a small country town) where things are a bit laid back. The police get to recognize you from the bank, post office, road blocks etc. They can be quite amusing, once on my birthday I was stopped for not wearing a seat belt, I had to go to the roadside desk where two officers were sitting. One started writing out a ticket and I, thinking to play the sympathy card, asked can't you let me off, it's my birthday. Grinning he handed me the ticket, shook my hand and said happy birthday. Another time I was falsely parked, loading stuff from the market with my ML into my car, a policeman motioned us to go to the desk situated on the pavement, I and my ML said simultaneously, we haven't any money left. The two officers both of whom recognized the two of us started laughing and said well go home then and stop wasting our time. 

[petermik]

Methinks there maybe the odd one or two are decent.....but then again

[scubascuba3]

There's good and bad cops

 

enforcing the law seems optional

 

ok to give them extra money to do their job, my lawyer friend told me that

 

You don't see them out before 10am or if raining

[richard_smith237]

Its all part of an 'enterprise'...  which in many other countries would be classed as wholly corrupt from the ground up - I know this for fact, I know how much is earned at various levels, I know the millions of baht that change hands to secure positions of higher influence.  

 

I have many Thai friends that stem back decades, knew most of them before they became Policemen.

Studied overseas, they now make a lot more money than most would imagine.

 

They are not allowed to be 'not-corrupt'...  I've had friends try, but they end up getting anonymous threats, damage to belongings (Cars scratched / house shot at) - they quickly started playing the game, they all do, there is little choice. 

 

That doesn't mean they are bad guys - they are just either part of a system, or they are out.... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chris Daley]

To be born British is to win first prize in the lottery of life.  So of course we have one of the best police forces in the world.  From the friendly face in town to the specially trained armed response units.  We have it all.  Thai police are just cute.

[oldestswinger]

19 hours ago, petermik said:

Methinks there maybe the odd one or two are decent.....but then again

Whereas there are approximately 220,000 of them.

[NorthernRyland]

 

20 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

In the 1980's the Miami Police Department was paying many of it's officers $18,000 to $21,000.  Hence the corruption(fueled by the drug trade) was rampant. 

 

Why is it only police people make this excuse for? In other professions if you get underpaid you just quit or do a bad job, not become corrupt and start stealing.

 

Police seem to attract the right personalities that will become corrupt naturally. Never heard of a cop in Thailand making so much money the need for corruption went away, in fact the opposite seems to be true.

[NorthernRyland]

20 hours ago, Watawattana said:

So often I see the Thai Police being criticised for one thing or another, or rather for not doing one thing or another.  But is it all their fault, or is there an issue further along the justice system?

 

They're horribly useless people and whatever pittance they get paid every month is surely too much considering that they do basically nothing.

 

Police in Thailand are like a cargo cult where they dress in police uniforms which they believe makes them police, when in reality they're just corrupt lazy men that have nothing to offer society. I think it's the people themselves who are poor quality. All I want them to do is keep law and order but that's way too much to ask.

 

They do however perform paperwork which is probably the most important part of the job. The times I've been in the police stations I see them sitting around filling out forms and other stuff. Since Thai's love to fill out paper forms maybe that's their benefit to society.

 

[sqwakvfr]

4 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

 

 

Why is it only police people make this excuse for? In other professions if you get underpaid you just quit or do a bad job, not become corrupt and start stealing.

 

Police seem to attract the right personalities that will become corrupt naturally. Never heard of a cop in Thailand making so much money the need for corruption went away, in fact the opposite seems to be true.

Mainly because getting hired as a police officer is long and complicated.  It can take  from 6 months to a year to at least get to the police academy. It's not like McDonalds: Apply on Monday, get hired on Tuesay and quit on Wednesday. It took me 8 months from application to police academy.  Then another year on probation to become a permanent employee. Most police officers in their first year are on their best behavior. I am strictly talking about how most US Police Departments hire officers.  1) Written test 2) Board Interview 3) Physical Agility Test 3) Medical Exam 4) Psych Exam 5) Polygraph test 6) Background investigation 7) Final Chief Interview 😎 Police Academy. Not so easy to quit after going through all that which is time consuming. All this that an applicant does is not compensated time. I do not know what the Thai Police hiring process is like.

[steven100]

lazy and if there's no money in it for them then no chance. 

rotten to the core 

[Peterphuket]

21 hours ago, Watawattana said:

So often I see the Thai Police being criticised for one thing or another, or rather for not doing one thing or another.  But is it all their fault, or is there an issue further along the justice system?

 

Where I'm from, I'm not a police nor am I a criminal, but I do know enough people who are to know that often it's not the police who screw up or are too lazy to prosecute, but the issues are more often further up the chain in the faceless prosecution and court services, or are as a result of a crazy government who flip flops on their priority setting or cuts resources.  And especially in the jail system, which is so overcrowded that the authorities want the police to back-off a bit.  The Police would love to have zero tolerance because they know the impact that so-called low-level crime has on communities, but they are not allowed to.

 

Might it be the same in Thailand?

It is not just their fault or the justice system, it is mainly in the culture, the "mai pen rai" culture, which is what everything is based on in Thai life.

[Kinok Farang]

10 hours ago, Chris Daley said:

To be born British is to win first prize in the lottery of life.  So of course we have one of the best police forces in the world.  From the friendly face in town to the specially trained armed response units.  We have it all.  Thai police are just cute.

That used to be the case Chris,but the British police,especially the Met are a laughing stock.

Two tier policing that they don't even bother to hide anymore.More concerned about what someone has wrote on Twitter than who stole your car.

And the worst bit,5ft 6in,tattooed,long haired out of shape men and 5ft lesbians with massive arses that couldn't run to catch a bus.

[jesimps]

10 hours ago, Chris Daley said:

To be born British is to win first prize in the lottery of life.  So of course we have one of the best police forces in the world.  From the friendly face in town to the specially trained armed response units.  We have it all.  Thai police are just cute.

A few years back I would have agreed with you, but these days because of its woke hierarchy enforcing two-tier policing, surveillance cameras everywhere, rampant knife crime and shoplifting and burglary ignored, they are more in line with a third-world dictatorship. 

[proton]

21 hours ago, digbeth said:

despite the low pay, ten thousands apply every year for openings of a few thousands position, what kind of people and expected lifestyle would that attracts?

 

One's who can pay the large joining up fee?

[cncltd1973]

you will see many reports of rape victims (many gang-raped, many underage) that identify their attackers by name but the police will do nothing about it. and many lesser crimes that the RTP can't be bothered to do anything about, either from laziness, fear or corruption. read the news everyday for 6 months and you will come to the same opinion 

[NorthernRyland]

1 hour ago, sqwakvfr said:

Mainly because getting hired as a police officer is long and complicated.  It can take  from 6 months to a year to at least get to the police academy. It's not like McDonalds: Apply on Monday, get hired on Tuesay and quit on Wednesday. It took me 8 months from application to police academy.  Then another year on probation to become a permanent employee. Most police officers in their first year are on their best behavior. I am strictly talking about how most US Police Departments hire officers.  1) Written test 2) Board Interview 3) Physical Agility Test 3) Medical Exam 4) Psych Exam 5) Polygraph test 6) Background investigation 7) Final Chief Interview 😎 Police Academy. Not so easy to quit after going through all that which is time consuming. All this that an applicant does is not compensated time. I do not know what the Thai Police hiring process is like.

still why does waiting mean you get to be corrupt if they don't pay you enough? doesn't follow.

 

Obvious answer is they get to hold power over others and this in itself is corrupting. I don't believe you could pay people enough to not become corrupt anyways.

 

Upright morals start at home anyways so the corruption in the Thai police form is a reflection of the Thai people themselves and how they raise their boys and view wider society. Thai's cower in front of authority but they don't respect the law in general.

[NorthernRyland]

13 minutes ago, cncltd1973 said:

you will see many reports of rape victims (many gang-raped, many underage) that identify their attackers by name but the police will do nothing about it. and many lesser crimes that the RTP can't be bothered to do anything about, either from laziness, fear or corruption. read the news everyday for 6 months and you will come to the same opinion 

Exactly. If the police fail to do their job and you take the law into your own hands then the police will come after YOU.

[kingstonkid]

31 minutes ago, proton said:

 

One's who can pay the large joining up fee?

I think given the choice of 

a monk

b soldier

c. cop

 

that most will choose to be a policeman.  The challenge is that most that apply do hot have a high education, and the pay sucks.

 

We have all heard and know about the brown envelopes or the fines on the side of the road.

 

My personal feeling is that in order to get promoted you have to be an earner.

 

The police department is like teachers, and the military is severely underpaid at the lower levels.

 

As a young soldier in Canada in the late 70s, I can understand that as a private, we were paid crap but thank god for clean barracks and mess halls.

 

RESOLUTION

 

This is fairly simple and is sort of happening.

 

First they have to upgrade the standards of the police training.

 

Second upgrade the tax structure so that more money is coming in and less is going to corrupt business deals.

 

Third, take the money and give the police a pay raise, starting with the cadets.

 

Fourth, establish a rule that states that if you are found taking any bribe, be it a free meal or large, you automatically get fired and lose your pension and any benefits.

 

Extreme corruption should be automatically mim 5 years in prison forfeiture of everything your family has.

 

fith if you break the law or fail to properly enforce the law you are terminated on a 4 strike basis.  This goes for helmets on motorcycles and other traffic of walking laws.

 

 

 

[sqwakvfr]

17 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

still why does waiting mean you get to be corrupt if they don't pay you enough? doesn't follow.

 

Obvious answer is they get to hold power over others and this in itself is corrupting. I don't believe you could pay people enough to not become corrupt anyways.

 

Upright morals start at home anyways so the corruption in the Thai police form is a reflection of the Thai people themselves and how they raise their boys and view wider society. Thai's cower in front of authority but they don't respect the law in general.

It's not a simple matter of waiting for a job.  An applicant does a lot to get past each step in the hiring process. Corruption is a broad term.  Some police officers worldwide commit crimes on and off duty.  This does not mean there is pattern of corruption. Also, every police department in the US has professional standards unit(AKA Internal Affaris) that are very busy. What is the Thai word for "internal affairs"?  I personally knew several officers who terminated after Internaal Affairs investigations.  One was fired after having two wives at the same time.  Is this corrumption or just stupidity? Another was fired after being filmed working security at a Lakers game while under disability status from a work injury.  Is this corruption, stupidy, greed or all 3.  Another was fired and almost indicted for 2nd degree murder after shooting at a motorist and killing him because he claimed the motorist was trying to run him over during a traffic stop. Back then we did not have body cameras.  Ultimately no charges were filed but he was fired for violatiing the departments use of force policy.  This may have been a case of incompetence that lead to the death of a drunk motorist.

 

Lastly let's say an officer pulls over a motoris for a minor traffic violation and the driver is a fellow officer.  The fellow officer looks and smells like he has had a few drinks.  His home is few blocks from the traffic stop location.  Let's say the officer calls his wife and she takes him home. The vehcile is left at the location.  Would this be corruption?  Depends on who you ask? 

[Surasak]

11 hours ago, Chris Daley said:

To be born British is to win first prize in the lottery of life.  So of course we have one of the best police forces in the world.  From the friendly face in town to the specially trained armed response units.  We have it all.  Thai police are just cute.

I have to assume you are referring to the 1940/50s police, because in my estimation the police farce has gone down hill at a great rate of knots since the 60s. Can't tar them all with the same brush admittedly, and I don't say they are corrupt, but there are some very bad apples in the barrel now.

[Gottfrid]

23 hours ago, Watawattana said:

Might it be the same in Thailand?

NO!

[john donson]

a badge is a way to do criminal activities without consequences.... maffia are us....

 

horrible to read when a child or woman or anybody abused, beaten, raped and the police are to lazy to do their job...

[kingstonkid]

15 minutes ago, john donson said:

a badge is a way to do criminal activities without consequences.... maffia are us....

 

horrible to read when a child or woman or anybody abused, beaten, raped and the police are to lazy to do their job...

 

I think a lot of police action depends on who it is and what and who they know.  Mosdt police here are not going to jump in and make the waves of arresting someone if they know they are going to get off anyway.

 

We see that here but it is actually getting worse depending on where you are in the U.S.

 

California is the perfect example and Bpston soon will be.  There is more concern about the people being arrested versus the people that are violated.  

[Mason45]

23 hours ago, digbeth said:

despite the low pay, ten thousands apply every year for openings of a few thousands position, what kind of people and expected lifestyle would that attracts?

My brother inlaws son is a Thai cop. He told me that prior to graduating the cadets are required to state their preferred posting. If the preferred posting is Pattaya that's when the brown envelopes come into play.

[NoshowJones]

On 6/5/2024 at 12:10 PM, scubascuba3 said:

There's good and bad cops

 

enforcing the law seems optional

 

ok to give them extra money to do their job, my lawyer friend told me that

 

You don't see them out before 10am or if raining

If you regularly pass any Highway police stations, notice how often you see a patrol car sitting outside.

In my experience it is every time, so why are they not out doing their job?