Police Powers To Stop And Search

[Super Hans]

I was just having a stroll down Rama IV in Bangkok when 2 motocops leapt on me and conducted a VERY intensive search - probably lasting 20 mins or so. The guy searching me was in my face at all times, demanding to know what everything in my possession was, demanding I show him my passport etc. He went through every pocket in turn, taking out the contents for examination, before giving them back to me, then starting the whole process again. He was really desperate to find something and very disappointed when he didn't. Funny thing was, a mate had given me a sachet of Kamagra gel late last night that I'd forgotten about - the police took a great deal of interest in it, but let me have it back. They kept asking if it needed to be taken with beer, for some reason. I'm sure it is illegal in Thailand and amazed they let me off with it.

I don't mind admitting I was shitting it, not least because he kept grabbing my penis. I was worried about the Kamagra, but even more so that they may plant drugs on me.

What is the likelihood of drugs being planted? What do you actually do if they have planted something on you? Do you offer them a bribe, or will that make matters worse? Also, how regular is this sort of thing? Anyone else been SASed?

No wonder you rarely see farangs walking around in any of the off-the-beaten-track areas. Taxis all the way for me from now on.

[Briggsy]

One option would be to insist on the Tourist Police immediately.

However, once cops plant drugs on you, the situation is very serious indeed and it would be unlikely the cops would ever put their hands up and say, "Yes, we did plant those drugs on you, sorry."

I hope it never happens to me.

I tend to suspect that they had some reason to believe you were carrying drugs. Perhaps they had information that a farang dealer was selling in that area. Perhaps you had inadvertently strayed near a dealer's place. Perhaps you have dread locks and the police thought your appearance was suspicious. Totally random searches of farangs in Central Bangkok are unusual.

[Maigo6]

amazed they let me off with it for some reason.

he kept grabbing my penis.

Maybe that's the reason.

Did you get his cellphone number too ?

[Super Hans]

amazed they let me off with it for some reason.

he kept grabbing my penis.

Maybe that's the reason.

Did you get his cellphone number too ?

No, but he did say "small, small" whilst he was grabbing it. I'm sure there are worse times to be told you've a small penis, but none spring immediately to mind...

[Super Hans]

One option would be to insist on the Tourist Police immediately.

However, once cops plant drugs on you, the situation is very serious indeed and it would be unlikely the cops would ever put their hands up and say, "Yes, we did plant those drugs on you, sorry."

I hope it never happens to me.

I tend to suspect that they had some reason to believe you were carrying drugs. Perhaps they had information that a farang dealer was selling in that area. Perhaps you had inadvertently strayed near a dealer's place. Perhaps you have dread locks and the police thought your appearance was suspicious. Totally random searches of farangs in Central Bangkok are unusual.

Well, I do have long hair - I have not had a haircut in 5 years. Dodgy hat - to keep hair out of eyes - probably doesn't help either. Maybe time for a haircut.

So you'd class Rama IV's as being central Bangkok? This was out towards Carrefour/Tesco. Not many farang around here. He did keep asking me if I had coke, though, so maybe they do have specific intelligence. He also kept asking me if I had beer, bizarrely.

[Maigo6]

He did keep asking me if I had coke, though, so maybe they do have specific intelligence. He also kept asking me if I had beer, bizarrely.

Did he also ask if you Trolled internet forums.

[Briggsy]

Definitely, Central Bangkok, in my opinion. Not sure what police station would cover that area. Very probably Khlong Toei police station cops. They would be very used to dealing with farangs.

It was interesting that he was asking about coke. This is imported and is expensive. The trade in this drug is less likely to be known to and/or controlled by the police so they don't like it. I believe that foreign drug dealers in Thailand focus on this drug as the profits are there and there may be no Thai influence. (supplier/dealer/customer all foreign).

Everything seems to point to them thinking you were buying or selling cocaine.

Sorry to mods if I have broken any rules here.

[Guest Reimar]

He did keep asking me if I had coke, though, so maybe they do have specific intelligence. He also kept asking me if I had beer, bizarrely.

Did he also ask if you Trolled internet forums.

[KhaoNiaw]

So you'd class Rama IV's as being central Bangkok? This was out towards Carrefour/Tesco.

Not many farang around here.

??????

[toptuan]

I have not had a haircut in 5 years.

Case closed.

[Super Hans]

So you'd class Rama IV's as being central Bangkok? This was out towards Carrefour/Tesco.

Not many farang around here.

??????

No there aren't, at least comparatively. Go and eat in the Carrefour foodhall and see how many farang there are - not many, I can assure you. Besides, I meant it in terms of it not being a typical tourist destination.

I saw a farang with a load of luggage waiting for the bus just before I was pulled and was thinking to myself "that's the first farang I've ever passed on this stretch of road" when they jumped me.

[Super Hans]

He did keep asking me if I had coke, though, so maybe they do have specific intelligence. He also kept asking me if I had beer, bizarrely.

Did he also ask if you Trolled internet forums.

Where am I trolling?

[Super Hans]

I have not had a haircut in 5 years.

Case closed.

Well, had it been the fashion police I could've understood!

[richard_smith237]

A Thai Police friend of mine tells me this is illegal. On the street all the police are allowed to ask for is your ID. If they want to search you they have to take you back to a station.

My friend has recommended to me that in similar situations insist on going back to the local station and they can search you there. I’ve thought about this though and refusing a search and insisting on going to the station while within your rights in my opinion needs to be dealt with very delicately.

A few months ago, a friend and I were in a taxi travelling along a narrow single lane soi between Ekammai and Thonglor (Just off Sukhumvit). It was about 2am and no other cars were around when 2 police officers on a bike pulled the taxi over.

I wound down my window and they asked me for Passport, I didn’t have one on me so I just said one word. “No”. They asked me in Thai where I was going – and I said “Thonglor”. They then asked me for ID, I realized my situation and was not going to give a police my ID while in a dark soi at 2am and then risk having to get out of the taxi and face a search... So I said "No". And they just replied in Thai “ok go”...... I was expecting some further difficulties to which I was going to tell them I will take the taxi to Thonglor Police station and they can check my ID there, but this was not necessary.

Something was very 'not right' about the whole situation. After asking my Thai Police friend, his answer was “probably dodgy police” and because I was not intimidated they didn’t pursue what ever it was they were looking for. My guess is at that time of morning is that they were looking to plant something on me and then try and extort some cash out of me, but my instinct may be mistaken.

Anyway – In future, If police stop me and ask to search my wallet or me, I will ask why and tell them its illegal unless they want to take me to the station. If they want to take me to the station I’ll call my friend to meet me there.

But I will not let them search me in the street and risk something being planted (although something could be planted on me in the station).

I wonder – This searching in the street has happened to a western friend of mine also, apart from official road blocks, does it happen to Thai’s ? This should tell us something of the legality of it.

[Super Hans]

A Thai Police friend of mine tells me this is illegal. On the street all the police are allowed to ask for is your ID. If they want to search you they have to take you back to a station.

My friend has recommended to me that in similar situations insist on going back to the local station and they can search you there. I’ve thought about this though and refusing a search and insisting on going to the station while within your rights in my opinion needs to be dealt with very delicately.

A few months ago, a friend and I were in a taxi travelling along a narrow single lane soi between Ekammai and Thonglor (Just off Sukhumvit). It was about 2am and no other cars were around when 2 police officers on a bike pulled the taxi over.

I wound down my window and they asked me for Passport, I didn’t have one on me so I just said one word. “No”. They asked me in Thai where I was going – and I said “Thonglor”. They then asked me for ID, I realized my situation and was not going to give a police my ID while in a dark soi at 2am and then risk having to get out of the taxi and face a search... So I said "No". And they just replied in Thai “ok go”...... I was expecting some further difficulties to which I was going to tell them I will take the taxi to Thonglor Police station and they can check my ID there, but this was not necessary.

Something was very 'not right' about the whole situation. After asking my Thai Police friend, his answer was “probably dodgy police” and because I was not intimidated they didn’t pursue what ever it was they were looking for. My guess is at that time of morning is that they were looking to plant something on me and then try and extort some cash out of me, but my instinct may be mistaken.

Anyway – In future, If police stop me and ask to search my wallet or me, I will ask why and tell them its illegal unless they want to take me to the station. If they want to take me to the station I’ll call my friend to meet me there.

But I will not let them search me in the street and risk something being planted (although something could be planted on me in the station).

I wonder – This searching in the street has happened to a western friend of mine also, apart from official road blocks, does it happen to Thai’s ? This should tell us something of the legality of it.

I think I'm going to do exactly what they ask if it happens again. I take your point about refusing to be searched, but discretion is...

They didn't steal any money from me - and they had every opportunity to do so - neither did I have any ID on me. They could easily have asked for money/arrested me for the kamagra, but didn't. They asked what it was for and I decided not to lie. They just said "sex?" and I nodded. They were very interested in how it's ingested and seemed content to let me have it back once they'd read it is a gel. They were very interested in what was in my money pocket, so, all in all, I suspect they've specific intelligence on a coke dealer, as Briggsy suggested. I hope they've now crossed me off their 'suspects' list.

The only drug I do here is beer.

[Super Hans]

Definitely, Central Bangkok, in my opinion. Not sure what police station would cover that area. Very probably Khlong Toei police station cops. They would be very used to dealing with farangs.

It was interesting that he was asking about coke. This is imported and is expensive. The trade in this drug is less likely to be known to and/or controlled by the police so they don't like it. I believe that foreign drug dealers in Thailand focus on this drug as the profits are there and there may be no Thai influence. (supplier/dealer/customer all foreign).

Everything seems to point to them thinking you were buying or selling cocaine.

Sorry to mods if I have broken any rules here.

What rules could you have broken? It is interesting that coke is the drug least popular with the police, although it makes sense now you mention it.

[richard_smith237]

I think I'm going to do exactly what they ask if it happens again. I take your point about refusing to be searched, but discretion is...

They didn't steal any money from me - and they had every opportunity to do so - neither did I have any ID on me. They could easily have asked for money/arrested me for the kamagra, but didn't. They asked what it was for and I decided not to lie. They just said "sex?" and I nodded. They were very interested in how it's ingested and seemed content to let me have it back once they'd read it is a gel. They were very interested in what was in my money pocket, so, all in all, I suspect they've specific intelligence on a coke dealer, as Briggsy suggested. I hope they've now crossed me off their 'suspects' list.

The only drug I do here is beer.

Yep, I agree with you – If the police insist on searching me after I have played the ‘its illegal to search me in the street’ card, there is not much I can do other than let them get on with it, otherwise I’m sure the situation would deteriorate.

At 2am in a quiet soi it seems a lot more suspect and I’d be (if my alcohol intake permitted it) on high alert.

My friend got searched in the middle of the day in Sukhumvit 22 about 2 years ago, the excuse from the police was that they were looking for drugs as it had been reported that there was a western drug dealer in the area. But that was two years ago. Still, my friend was simply searched and nothing more, so it seems that in the day time, in a busy area all is fine and it’s a lot less hassle than insisting on going to a station.

I think I’d judge each situation on its own merit, i.e. day night, how busy the area is. At night, I’d guess that good police would not mind moving to a busier area or a police station.

[DP25]

Been stopped and searched by the police several times near Khao San Road. Went through my pockets, looked in my bag, made me take off my shoes, sniffed my pack of cigs, etc. Annoying but they let me go in a few minutes each time and were reasonably polite.

[Super Hans]

I think I'm going to do exactly what they ask if it happens again. I take your point about refusing to be searched, but discretion is...

They didn't steal any money from me - and they had every opportunity to do so - neither did I have any ID on me. They could easily have asked for money/arrested me for the kamagra, but didn't. They asked what it was for and I decided not to lie. They just said "sex?" and I nodded. They were very interested in how it's ingested and seemed content to let me have it back once they'd read it is a gel. They were very interested in what was in my money pocket, so, all in all, I suspect they've specific intelligence on a coke dealer, as Briggsy suggested. I hope they've now crossed me off their 'suspects' list.

The only drug I do here is beer.

Yep, I agree with you – If the police insist on searching me after I have played the ‘its illegal to search me in the street’ card, there is not much I can do other than let them get on with it, otherwise I’m sure the situation would deteriorate.

At 2am in a quiet soi it seems a lot more suspect and I’d be (if my alcohol intake permitted it) on high alert.

My friend got searched in the middle of the day in Sukhumvit 22 about 2 years ago, the excuse from the police was that they were looking for drugs as it had been reported that there was a western drug dealer in the area. But that was two years ago. Still, my friend was simply searched and nothing more, so it seems that in the day time, in a busy area all is fine and it’s a lot less hassle than insisting on going to a station.

I think I’d judge each situation on its own merit, i.e. day night, how busy the area is. At night, I’d guess that good police would not mind moving to a busier area or a police station.

I'm surprised...amazed you were stopped when in a taxi. I can't walk OR take taxis without potential hassle now!

[Briggsy]

I also have been stopped in a taxi, Soi Phrom Pong, early hours of the morning. Full road block. Loads of coppers. "Where have you been? Where are you going? Thank you. That's all."

[Super Hans]

Been stopped and searched by the police several times near Khao San Road. Went through my pockets, looked in my bag, made me take off my shoes, sniffed my pack of cigs, etc. Annoying but they let me go in a few minutes each time and were reasonably polite.

So this kind of thing is reasonably common?

What is your appearance like? I can understand why the police might think I'm involved with drugs - are you likewise or more clean cut?

[Super Hans]

I also have been stopped in a taxi, Soi Phrom Pong, early hours of the morning. Full road block. Loads of coppers. "Where have you been? Where are you going? Thank you. That's all."

Did they ask for ID? What's the deal with ID anyway - I'm vaguely aware that farang need to have their passports on them at all times, but in reality this isn't going to happen. I never carry a shred of ID.

[dotcom]

Let's clear up this Kamagra thing. It's not "illegal" Viagra is not "illegal". So keep searching for the reason.

I drive Rama 4 on my motorcycle quite often with no hassles. What you describe is very irregular. Tourism is still a top earner here. Rogue cops aren't doing anyone any favors.

Would have been good to tell them to get their Boss Sergeant Nop down to the scene.

[DP25]

So this kind of thing is reasonably common?

What is your appearance like? I can understand why the police might think I'm involved with drugs - are you likewise or more clean cut?

I guess its reasonably common, as it's happened several times over the past couple years when I've gone out drinking there. It's happened to a lot of other people I know as well. I'm pretty clean cut too, I think they're just randomly searching farang in the area for drugs.

[Super Hans]

Let's clear up this Kamagra thing. It's not "illegal" Viagra is not "illegal". So keep searching for the reason.

I drive Rama 4 on my motorcycle quite often with no hassles. What you describe is very irregular. Tourism is still a top earner here. Rogue cops aren't doing anyone any favors.

Would have been good to tell them to get their Boss Sergeant Nop down to the scene.

Yes, good idea...

You sure about the Kamagra thing? If it's "legal", why do dealers on the street keep flashing it under my nose? I suspect licensed viagra, cialis etc are legal provided they come with a prescription from a doctor, but am not sure as to whether generic brands bought under the counter are strictly "legal".

[dotcom]

On the corner of Nana is a PTT station. Walk a few meters toward JW Marriot. You'll see 2 pharmacies before you get to Bully's Pub. Go in the second & larger one & ask my mate to buy Kamagra oral jelly. He has lemon & orange I believe. See if he asks you for a scrip.

[richard_smith237]

I'm surprised...amazed you were stopped when in a taxi. I can't walk OR take taxis without potential hassle now!

While in a taxi late at night (early AM - 2-3am) it’s happened twice in last couple of years, but certainly not often enough to be alarming.

The first time a couple of years ago they just stopped the taxi and asked the driver where he was taking me. On this occasion I believe they were just looking out for my interests and making sure I was not the gullible tourist being taken on a wild goose chase. We were taking the smaller soi’s as it they offered the most direct route and I was already close to home, the taxi driver told the police my destination and we were on our way without further questions.

The second time (as I have described earlier) appeared to be something more suspect.

Both times they had identified me as a westerner in the taxi before they stopped us.

Both occasions were not enough to be worrying or cause a problem, but in retrospect I have concerns regarding their intentions.

In all likely hood, on the nights in question I was drinking with my friend (Thai Policeman - as we have been great friends for many years, and we now share many friends western and Thai who go out together as a group), I have the option of calling him for assistance but have never felt the need over something so small, he’s a friend because he’s a friend, his position bears no significance, although it doesn’t hurt to have that option if things were to take an uglier turn when getting stopped.

From reading this thread so far it appears to me as though if someone has done nothing wrong, then there is nothing to worry about – Although the opening question (topic title) questions the police powers. It is my understanding that a street search as the law stands is illegal, although I’ve only asked one friend about this and have no further confirmation.

Many people on this forum have friends within the police force, it would be interesting to learn what clarification their police friends can offer. It’s my guess that in cases such as this, what is done is copied from seniors and an interpretation of the law is passed down, I may well be wrong, but a policeman may not even know it is illegal to perform a street search (and I may well be mistaken).

[Super Hans]

On the corner of Nana is a PTT station. Walk a few meters toward JW Marriot. You'll see 2 pharmacies before you get to Bully's Pub. Go in the second & larger one & ask my mate to buy Kamagra oral jelly. He has lemon & orange I believe. See if he asks you for a scrip.

How does that make it "legal".

I suspect you've no idea about the legal status of non-script Kamagra in Thailand, just like me.

[Super Hans]

I'm surprised...amazed you were stopped when in a taxi. I can't walk OR take taxis without potential hassle now!

While in a taxi late at night (early AM - 2-3am) it’s happened twice in last couple of years, but certainly not often enough to be alarming.

The first time a couple of years ago they just stopped the taxi and asked the driver where he was taking me. On this occasion I believe they were just looking out for my interests and making sure I was not the gullible tourist being taken on a wild goose chase. We were taking the smaller soi’s as it they offered the most direct route and I was already close to home, the taxi driver told the police my destination and we were on our way without further questions.

The second time (as I have described earlier) appeared to be something more suspect.

Both times they had identified me as a westerner in the taxi before they stopped us.

Both occasions were not enough to be worrying or cause a problem, but in retrospect I have concerns regarding their intentions.

In all likely hood, on the nights in question I was drinking with my friend (Thai Policeman - as we have been great friends for many years, and we now share many friends western and Thai who go out together as a group), I have the option of calling him for assistance but have never felt the need over something so small, he’s a friend because he’s a friend, his position bears no significance, although it doesn’t hurt to have that option if things were to take an uglier turn when getting stopped.

From reading this thread so far it appears to me as though if someone has done nothing wrong, then there is nothing to worry about – Although the opening question (topic title) questions the police powers. It is my understanding that a street search as the law stands is illegal, although I’ve only asked one friend about this and have no further confirmation.

Many people on this forum have friends within the police force, it would be interesting to learn what clarification their police friends can offer. It’s my guess that in cases such as this, what is done is copied from seniors and an interpretation of the law is passed down, I may well be wrong, but a policeman may not even know it is illegal to perform a street search (and I may well be mistaken).

As things turned out ok, I have no problem with being searched at all. My fear is being targeted by corrupt officers, which the two today clearly were not.

[dotcom]

You got done up cuz you look like a sucker.