Thai Police Impersonator Arrested

[george]

Cops and fobbers

BANGKOK: A former security guard at the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok was arrested on August 8 for impersonating a police officer and illegal possession of a firearm, police said.

Following reports of gunfire at 5 am , two police officers from the Makkasan Police station found Theerapong Sawaiprekon, 30, in a police uniform at the scene.

The former security guard told police that he was an officer at Hua Mark Police Station before speeding off after a group of motorcycle racers and shooting his gun into the air. Noting that this was not standard procedure, the officers then stopped him and took him to the station for questioning.

Theerapong later told police that he dressed as a police officer as an excuse for his wife that he had to go to work, but then sneaked off to see his mistress.

Theerapong used to work as a security guard at the Israeli Embassy but resigned and had been unemployed ever since. He had also been a student at a police training school, but was expelled because he had a habit of firing his gun in the air.

The Makkasan area has a distinguished history of police impersonators. Back in November 1994, another man there was arrested there for dressing like a cop. Using a stolen uniform and other equipment stolen piece-by-piece from area police boxes, he set up his own extortion point and spent two months posing as a traffic cop in order to extort money from motorists. The motorists were none the wiser, and there were no reports of anything out of the usual.

He was finally caught out when a senior officer passed him on an inspection tour and he saluted his “superior” – with his left hand.

--Phuket Gazette 2004-08-25

[thoreau]

God !!! this is why I love Thailand. I could never imagine a news report like this having taken place in Canada. Somebody turn this story into a movie ..please. The man has style! No brains but style.

[Begs]

Theerapong later told police that he dressed as a police officer as an excuse for his wife that he had to go to work, but then sneaked off to see his mistress.

Theerapong used to work as a security guard at the Israeli Embassy but resigned and had been unemployed ever since. He had also been a student at a police training school, but was expelled because he had a habit of firing his gun in the air.

The Makkasan area has a distinguished history of police impersonators. Back in November 1994, another man there was arrested there for dressing like a cop. Using a stolen uniform and other equipment stolen piece-by-piece from area police boxes, he set up his own extortion point and spent two months posing as a traffic cop in order to extort money from motorists. The motorists were none the wiser, and there were no reports of anything out of the usual.

He was finally caught out when a senior officer passed him on an inspection tour and he saluted his “superior” – with his left hand.

Agree with the last poster.......................

4 classic paragraphs here, although no doubt slightly exaggerated by the writer, entertaining nonetheless.

[Sphere]

The motorists were none the wiser, and there were no reports of anything out of the usual.

Certainly would have been noticed earlier if he did not extort money!

[PvtDick]

Is it the traffic cops who extort money, or is it the traffic offenders who agree to bribe the cops to avoid getting a ticket? In my experience, 100% the latter.

[Speedy]

Is it the traffic cops who extort money, or is it the traffic offenders who agree to bribe the cops to avoid getting a ticket? In my experience, 100% the latter.

in my own experience: it is easier to bribe the cops (100baht) for a traffic offence, rather then having to go to some far away Police Station where you will be questioned etc. Nowadays, more and more cops are not accepting the bribes any longer....

[huski]

Is it the traffic cops who extort money, or is it the traffic offenders who agree to bribe the cops to avoid getting a ticket?  In my experience, 100% the latter.

in my own experience: it is easier to bribe the cops (100baht) for a traffic offence, rather then having to go to some far away Police Station where you will be questioned etc. Nowadays, more and more cops are not accepting the bribes any longer....

100baht, what do you expect?

Theerapong later told police that he dressed as a police officer as an excuse for his wife that he had to go to work, but then sneaked off to see his mistress.

he will have a new mistress soon

[PvtDick]

Is it the traffic cops who extort money, or is it the traffic offenders who agree to bribe the cops to avoid getting a ticket?  In my experience, 100% the latter.

in my own experience: it is easier to bribe the cops (100baht) for a traffic offence, rather then having to go to some far away Police Station where you will be questioned etc. Nowadays, more and more cops are not accepting the bribes any longer....

Exactly my point. It is motorists bribing the cops, and cops accepting the bribes, rather than the cops extorting money from people who may not have done anything wrong.

Big difference, in my opinion.

[penzman]

Thailand`s version of Yosemite Sam!