Phuket Second To Last In Human Security

[huggybear]

http://www.phuketgazette.com/dailynews/index.asp?id=6827

This is just insane considering the amount of revenue Phuket pumps into the overall Thai economy.

Property taxes, tourist revenue, wealthiest province in the country yet for human security like the recent Rawai mugging, is second to last in the nation.

The Phuket BIB are a disgrace.

[CroBiker]

Don't be so shocked Huggy....In my time I had opportunity to talk to few cops serving in Phuket. For them being transferred from some Isan backwater to our beloved island means arriving to Eldorado - easy money, nice climate and bunch of gullible dumb farangs to rip off. They don't give a shit about this island unlike you and me. In fact, they are jealous seeing foreigners and rich Phuket natives throwing money here and there. Upholding law and order is last thing on their mind....Phuket is cash cow and always will be for this kind.

Edited October 1, 2008 by CroBiker

[huggybear]

<br />Don't be so shocked Huggy....In my time I had opportunity to talk to few cops serving in Phuket. For them being transferred from some Isan backwater to our beloved island means arriving to Eldorado - easy money, nice climate and bunch of gullible dumb farangs to rip off. They don't give a shit about this island unlike you and me. In fact, they are jealous seeing foreigners and rich Phuket natives throwing money here and there. Upholding law and order is last thing on their mind....Phuket is cash cow and always will be for this kind.<br />

To go a step further, rumour has it that the cops actually have to pay to get posted here. Something like 200,000thb to the big bosses.

[LivinginKata]

To go a step further, rumour has it that the cops actually have to pay to get posted here. Something like 200,000thb to the big bosses.

We know some cops from outside Phuket (my brother-in law & nephew-in-law) and they say Phuket Island has not enough policemen as few policeman want posted to Phuket due to the high cost of living and very high work hours. So HB's rumour does not correspond with what I actually hear from some policemen.

[Sir Burr]

Besides Singapore, another country in the region that has an uncorrupt and efficient police force is.............????

[neverdie]

huggy,

Lets just examine part of your claim and i quote,

"To go a step further, rumour has it that the cops actually have to pay to get posted here. Something like 200,000thb to the big bosses."

Have you got any idea how long it would take a young street policeman to raise 200k in order to pay off some boss somewhere, just to get a transfer???? I DONT THINK SO!

Now give yourself an uppercut!

[huggybear]

huggy,

Lets just examine part of your claim and i quote,

"To go a step further, rumour has it that the cops actually have to pay to get posted here. Something like 200,000thb to the big bosses."

Have you got any idea how long it would take a young street policeman to raise 200k in order to pay off some boss somewhere, just to get a transfer???? I DONT THINK SO!

Now give yourself an uppercut!

do I have to define "rumour" for you? That means it's just something I heard, I never said fact, never said I believed it, it was just said during some conversation..........here is a link to www.dictionary.com

[LivinginKata]

do I have to define "rumour" for you? That means it's just something I heard, I never said fact, never said I believed it, it was just said during some conversation..........here is a link to www.dictionary.com

Ok, he is my definition of your rumor. A few Farangs round the bar shooting the sh*t. So don't embarrass yourself anymore HB.

[LivinginKata]

I don't know why this topic has degenerated to only about the BIB. Just read how the score was calculated..

'Suwinai said the human-security score was calculated using comprehensive criteria, including the ratios of hospital beds/doctors to the population, student/teacher ratio, household income, employment rate, crime rate, divorce rate, population density, telephone and Internet access, and election turnout.'

[madmitch]

I don't know why this topic has degenerated to only about the BIB. Just read how the score was calculated..

'Suwinai said the human-security score was calculated using comprehensive criteria, including the ratios of hospital beds/doctors to the population, student/teacher ratio, household income, employment rate, crime rate, divorce rate, population density, telephone and Internet access, and election turnout.'

The figures are very likely distorted by the fact that only a small fraction of the people living in Phuket are actually registered here.

[Sir Burr]

Actually, you guys owe our "senior member", Huggybear an apology.

Yes, the top brass, the Lt Cols and higher ranks that are actually in charge of their respective police stations do have to buy their jobs. A number of suitable candidates are picked when it's transfer time and they bid against each other. The guy who is responsible for appointments gets very rich. The rewards are considerable if you run a cop-shop. They get a percentage of pretty much everything.

I can't believe you guys thought that this would refer to corporal Somchai on his Honda Dream.

[Sir Burr]

PS. I'm pretty sure you would have to add another zero to Huggybear's figure.

[LivinginKata]

Ok Huggy, you might (??) be right about very senior policeman. So apologies to our 'ace senior member', however I don't think this applies to the average policeman. So I'm just giving my opinion, as a 'bearded member'.

[LivinLOS]

huggy,

Lets just examine part of your claim and i quote,

"To go a step further, rumour has it that the cops actually have to pay to get posted here. Something like 200,000thb to the big bosses."

Have you got any idea how long it would take a young street policeman to raise 200k in order to pay off some boss somewhere, just to get a transfer???? I DONT THINK SO!

Now give yourself an uppercut!

My neighbor is a very young and very well off young high up policeman.. BMW car, BMW motorbike, SUV, and a 3rd European small car for the wife / burmese maid to drive..

He explained how he comes from a well off family and they could buy him his promotions and then hes on the kickback gravy train from the poorer low end cops on the street who are the face of 200 baht corruption..

And yes for these guys you buy your way onto Phuket and it aint cheap... think hundreds of thousand for entry level..

You think those officers (immigration not police now) running Patong office that fights off the queues of 1900 baht extensions and drive the new 3 and 5 series beemers do that off thier 12k gov salary ?? Or just 'rotate' into and out of those jobs based on chance ?? If so I have this nice bridge for sale..

Edited October 1, 2008 by LivinLOS

[Sir Burr]

So I'm just giving my opinion, as a 'bearded member'.

We have another word for "bearded member" where I come from

[huggybear]

Ok Huggy, you might (??) be right about very senior policeman. So apologies to our 'ace senior member', however I don't think this applies to the average policeman. So I'm just giving my opinion, as a 'bearded member'.

Thanks to Sir Burr and LivininLos.

Seems these days I've become a bit of a wanke_r lightening rod.

To the poster that said the rumour was probably guys at the bar shooting the sh*t, he is absolutely right and the reason I posted "rumour has it" as I do not have any facts or evidence to back up the statement. Not sure why he would say, "don't embarass yourself" as I don't see anything embarassing about it.

Cheers, HB

Edited October 1, 2008 by huggybear

[steelepulse]

A few years ago I was in Ranong with my wife and we met up with a childhood friend of hers who was a cop stationed up there.  The figure quoted back then was 200K for a phuket position, so I'm sure it's more now.  

Do you guys remember back about 4 years ago when everyone was complaining about all the 300 baht checks going on everywhere and the local gov't told the BIB's to tone  down the 5 time daily spot checks?  Then what could be heard on Thai radio was the local BIB complaining about how they couldn't make their house and car payments due to the inability to raise funds.  Of course the local BIB's had to bribe their way to get posted here in Phuket as they can recoup their money back and is a good investment for their backers back home.

Just to clarify for all you junior, senior and bearded members, it's the board's admin that can be blamed as they have it set so a senior member only has to post a certain number of times, not having to be registered for a certain amount of time FYI.

[Boater]

So Phuket was worst then Pattaya !!!........ if this is the case, the report has to be wrong

[phuketsub]

I don't know why this topic has degenerated to only about the BIB. Just read how the score was calculated..

'Suwinai said the human-security score was calculated using comprehensive criteria, including the ratios of hospital beds/doctors to the population, student/teacher ratio, household income, employment rate, crime rate, divorce rate, population density, telephone and Internet access, and election turnout.'

The figures are very likely distorted by the fact that only a small fraction of the people living in Phuket are actually registered here.

You are right. This is hardly new news either .There was a breakdown on the figures and an editorial in the April 12 edition of the Gazette:

http://www.phuketgazette.net/digitalgazett...6259&Cat=34

and this editorial:

http://www.phuketgazette.net/digitalgazett...6259&Cat=34

[logbags]

I thought everyone knew this. It is not only the Police but every civil service that has jobs being sold to the highest bidder. The person pays for a job then recoups his dosh via the graft on offer for that particular position. He in turn saves enough to buy a better position in the future.

Look at the fight for the Bangkok Governors job that has a modest salary, in the past it has attracted the likes of Thaksin and Samak. Now Chuwit wants to get his hands on this job as it is a huge earner in terms of kickbacks and graft. Thaksin was a cop and made his start with his father in law who was a police general. Chuwit was a brothel owner and made millions off prostitution which is actually illegal. He admitted he had paid police 100's of million of baht in bribes but nobody asked who actually got them and nothing was ever done

A guy I know worked for Thaksin, he wanted to get into politics and it cost him something like 15 million just to get into the Thai Rak Thai party. Cabinet seats apparently start at 150 million baht and go up to 300 million plus for one of the better minister posts where the pay offs are huge. You just need to see what was skimmed off at the airport just to get a small indication of the sums involved. The price ramping is huge like in the bomb scanner case where a few billion was skimmed in one deal alone.

You just need to look at who gets the positions and see that they are just mafia dons who rule like fuedal warlords in their respective provinces. This is why vote buying is so rife, the payoff for running a province is huge with all construction, road building and infrastructure projects being handed out to family cronies and business partners.

Thaksin was the grand master of this type of business and actually made corruption far more sophisticated than before as he actually made into law policies that favoured his own businesses. Phuket is the highest revenue earner after Bangkok, think of all the tax from VAT and hotels alone. Those clowns collecting the 300 baht have to go and extort money from bars and gamblers to make a crust for themselves, the big scores all go to the brass like mentioned in an earlier post.

That is why if you get pinched you cut a quick deal with the first cop you can and bolt, the more cops who get involved the bigger the pie becomes.

[LivinginKata]

That is why if you get pinched you cut a quick deal with the first cop you can and bolt, the more cops who get involved the bigger the pie becomes.

That's a terrific piece of advice. I remember when I first arrived here and had a problem with a junior policeman, I thought that complaining to the head of the local police station was the correct way to address my complaint. WRONG ... the major's pay off was so so much more expensive.

[huggybear]

That is why if you get pinched you cut a quick deal with the first cop you can and bolt, the more cops who get involved the bigger the pie becomes.

That's a terrific piece of advice. I remember when I first arrived here and had a problem with a junior policeman, I thought that complaining to the head of the local police station was the correct way to address my complaint. WRONG ... the major's pay off was so so much more expensive.

"So don't embarrass yourself anymore HB."

So let me get this straight, you flew over the head of a junior policeman, went and complained to a higher up, ended up shelling out more money for that bit of arrogance, and you ask me not to embarass myself ?

Wow, that kettle is black, isn't it?

[Arthur88]

I thought everyone knew this. It is not only the Police but every civil service that has jobs being sold to the highest bidder. The person pays for a job then recoups his dosh via the graft on offer for that particular position. He in turn saves enough to buy a better position in the future.

Look at the fight for the Bangkok Governors job that has a modest salary, in the past it has attracted the likes of Thaksin and Samak. Now Chuwit wants to get his hands on this job as it is a huge earner in terms of kickbacks and graft. Thaksin was a cop and made his start with his father in law who was a police general. Chuwit was a brothel owner and made millions off prostitution which is actually illegal. He admitted he had paid police 100's of million of baht in bribes but nobody asked who actually got them and nothing was ever done

A guy I know worked for Thaksin, he wanted to get into politics and it cost him something like 15 million just to get into the Thai Rak Thai party. Cabinet seats apparently start at 150 million baht and go up to 300 million plus for one of the better minister posts where the pay offs are huge. You just need to see what was skimmed off at the airport just to get a small indication of the sums involved. The price ramping is huge like in the bomb scanner case where a few billion was skimmed in one deal alone.

You just need to look at who gets the positions and see that they are just mafia dons who rule like fuedal warlords in their respective provinces. This is why vote buying is so rife, the payoff for running a province is huge with all construction, road building and infrastructure projects being handed out to family cronies and business partners.

Thaksin was the grand master of this type of business and actually made corruption far more sophisticated than before as he actually made into law policies that favoured his own businesses. Phuket is the highest revenue earner after Bangkok, think of all the tax from VAT and hotels alone. Those clowns collecting the 300 baht have to go and extort money from bars and gamblers to make a crust for themselves, the big scores all go to the brass like mentioned in an earlier post.

That is why if you get pinched you cut a quick deal with the first cop you can and bolt, the more cops who get involved the bigger the pie becomes.

Moderators take note: this post should be sticky in newly created subforum: CORRUPTION IN THAILAND

seriously...

[stevehaigh]

i'm seriously quite shocked by this.

i certainly feel a lot safer on the street of Phuket than Pattaya but apparently not. and the argument that the figures are distorted because there are a lot of unregistered residents in Phuket doesn't hold much water because i'm sure there are the same number of unregistered residents in Chonburi/Pattaya area.

i know this is only statistics, good and bad things happen everywhere, but it certainly makes me think twice about moving to Phuket.