Robbery Crime Surge Stretches Phuket Police

[saneroad]

A SURGE in robberies is causing concern among police all over Phuket, with brazen daylight thefts now also being committed.

Local police in Chalong, Kamala, Phuket City, Chern Thalay, Kathu, Tungthong and Tatchatchai have individually all confirmed the rise in crime to Phuketwan.

...

Another major series of break-ins occurred recently at high-end houses and villas in the Laguna-Layan region, one of the island's most prestigious residential districts.

The suspects hauled in by police turned out to be construction contractors.

While the first was in September last year, there were three in February and a series of four between March 2 and March 9.

Complete story: Phuket Robbery Crime

[LivinginKata]

Comes as no surprise to me .... and it's only going to get worse.

[TheWalkingMan]

I still cannot understand the seemingly unbending policy of allocating police resources based on the registered population. There should be a way to get around that rule and provide more police to Phuket. Based on the news reports and reports from people on the ground, that place is getting scarier and scarier.

TheWalkingMan

[Damaz6052]

The police resources are being used on there 'other jobs' the Kamala police are good to deal with at least they seem to care. There's been seven roberies in the last few weeks in Kamala, someone pulls up on a motorbike and sticks a gun in your face although it's only happened to Thais so far!!

It's only going to get worse.....

[LivinginKata]

I still cannot understand the seemingly unbending policy of allocating police resources based on the registered population.

Got nothing to do with 'police resources'. Trouble is that there is no financial profit in solving real crimes, much more money to be made fining road users. Just see how you get on if you report any sort of theft from your home. Long time ago we reported a mobike theft. Police officer wanted us to pay 'his petrol money' to go investigate. BIB are a complete waste of space on community policing.

[thaiwanderer]

Trouble is that there is no financial profit in solving real crimes, much more money to be made fining road users.

Agree with the first bit but latter pays only a very small fraction of the policeman's ball.

[LivinginKata]

Agree with the first bit but latter pays only a very small fraction of the policeman's ball.

Disagree... the fines make a significant bonus (legal) to policemen's monthly pay, almost doubles their income.

[notasexpat]

Wouldnt it help to put ACTUAL door on houses instead of those sliding cheap plastic doors that can be "picked" with a <deleted> toothpick?

I could probably break them by throwing plastic bags at em

[LivinLOS]

Trouble is that there is no financial profit in solving real crimes, much more money to be made fining road users.

Agree with the first bit but latter pays only a very small fraction of the policeman's ball.

They legally keep 1/3rd of the fines.. So when they stand there issueing 300 and 500 baht fines for a few hours that one afternoon adds a few 1000 to thier end of the month pay packet.

Fines make a huge part of the average low end cops pay.. The low cops have to kick upstream parts of their non fine kickbacks (bar late opening and assistance, etc etc etc and so the higher ups who dont collect legal fines sit on top of a pyramid scheme of tea money. Thai police officers pay, even for the non totally bent ones, make up only a small percentage of their income.

While Thais continue to accept this state of affairs they will never have a effective force.

[LivinginKata]

They legally keep 1/3rd of the fines.. So when they stand there issueing 300 and 500 baht fines for a few hours that one afternoon adds a few 1000 to thier end of the month pay packet.

Just to expand on LOS's post .... The station captain also gets a % of the fines issued, as does this regional chief. Their is a limit on how much a policeman can 'earn' on fines, I've heard it's about 12,000 baht/month. So that's why you only see police checks for a couple of days per month, and once the 'quota' is filled, why bother working any more.... Plus we all know their are plenty of other ways to supplement their incomes by a huge amount (many times their low wages).

P.S. additional thought ... it's a well known fact that police officers need to accumulate money to buy a promotion (from their superior officer), to gain promotion (to have access to even more money), and because Phuket is 'target rich', a very senior post in Phuket province command a high price...

Edited March 20, 2009 by LivinginKata

[johnboy72]

Wouldnt it help to put ACTUAL door on houses instead of those sliding cheap plastic doors that can be "picked" with a <deleted> toothpick?

I could probably break them by throwing plastic bags at em

Hahahahha.. Good point (with the homes)

Are we talking Big C bags or Lotus???

[dreamchaser]

Crime and robberies are pretty much a way of life when living in phuket

[paulfromphuket]

Crime and robberies are pretty much a way of life when living in phuket

you could put another 10,000 untrained under paid BIBs in her and there would be no difference.

Get a dog some, hard cats and good locks.

Until somebody wakes up and starts to pay the cops a good wage and train them nothing will change

I heard a rumor the last top cop paid 5 million for his job and was making a profit in a few months.

TIT!!

But at the end of the day I feel safer here han backin the homeland

[stevenl]

Crime and robberies are pretty much a way of life when living in phuket

Except on this forum I never notice anything of that.