New Police Scam - Got Set Up Today

[tuky]

I dont care what you or anyone else says. The outside lane will always be the lane on the outside of the roadway. The inside lane will always be the lane on the inside of the roadway. Anything else is either N. American or just plain old doesnt make sense (so obviously N. American).

Nice enlightened attitude mate. I take it you've lived and driven in every country in the world for at least 10 years so that you are familiar with their traffic laws?

FYI in the UK we drive on the left (same as Thailand) and in a dual carriageway situation the lane closest to the median strip is the outside lane (also known as the fast/overtaking lane). Slow traffic on the left, progressively faster as you get closer to the outside lane (by the median strip). If someone overtakes you on your left hand side it is known as being overtaken on the inside.

Just my 2p worth - I know you don't care what I say , but the law is the law.

Have a nice day !!!

Dont worry mate. I did add a little smiley with the tongue poking out to show I was a little tongue in cheek with my comment.

[blackopsnz]

ok i have him on picture:

here he is:

Tokay can you confirm that this is the cop in question.

[tropo]

... Life is much more enjoyable when you roll with the punches and live and learn.

Isn't that pretty much what Chamberlain was saying in 1938?! Why have any laws, or strike out against any type of injustice, if that's your attitude? Just let anyone who wants to knock you on your ass and take your wallet do so. Is that it? Does this also apply to how women should react to rape and/or domestic abuse?

It is a matter of degrees. Spending hours fussing and fuming because you got taken for $14 instead of continuing to enjoy your expensive vacation... Just doesn't make sense to me. If the cost or damage is high enough, well you have to know which battles to pick. Or at least feel I have to. If the thief makes me lose quality time and enjoyment, he has beaten me twice.

Life is too short.

So tell us, what would you do?

You've been set up by a cop and given a ticket. He takes your keys and tells you to go to the Soi 9 police station to pay the fine. You make your way to the Soi 9 Police station using a baht bus (if you know where you are going) or paying for a motorcycle taxi (40 - 60 baht). When you get to the police station you're met with stern faced staff looking upon you as a criminal. Once you've paid your fine you make your way back to Soi 13/2 on public transport once again and hope that the cop is still there with the keys to your motorcycle.

Even in the best case scenario (the cop is still there when you return and you didn't miss an appointment), there's at least an hours worth of fuss.

If you can just walk away with a smile on your face after that experience you're a regular Ghandi.

[truthfulfox]

What I find surprising is that you were ticketed and paid the fine at the Soi 9 police station.

Wouldn't that suggest that it's a scam from higher up in the department?

Who's getting the money? The policeman pulling it of in Soi 13/2 doesn't see the money as it has been paid to the fine clerk at the station. Normally you would expect the officers pulling off a scam to go for an on-the-street backhand payment.

If they are skimming this money at the police station, how does the fine clerk know that the fine was part of the setup and not a standard genuine offense? Do they have a secret mark on the ticket to indicate that?

Perhaps the street cops have been told by their superiors to increase their fine quotas for the day? Perhaps the cop involved with this scam had to get some more fines written up for the day because he was behind quota and he worked this scam independently. Don't cops get paid some commission on fines here in Pattaya?

We need some answers here. What if it is a push by the police department to increase profits and the cops have been told they can do what they like as long as they're careful about it. This could have some serious consequences for all expats who use their own transport.

it's exactly how it works in all corrupted countries but in thailand has an exeption as they target foreigners.

they have a quota to reach, so as they spend all month taking corruption , the end of the month they have to halt to reach the quotas using any extortion way.

[OxfordWill]

its all going to end in tears!

[Absingjul]

An injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere.

[tropo]

it's exactly how it works in all corrupted countries but in thailand has an exeption as they target foreigners.

they have a quota to reach, so as they spend all month taking corruption , the end of the month they have to halt to reach the quotas using any extortion way.

What do you mean by "taking corruption"?

If you're talking about ticket revenue, you should notice if you travel around Pattaya that the vast majority of traffic offense tickets are given to Thais. This is only to be expected because most road users are Thai.

Personally I cover about 6000 km on my motorcycle on Pattaya City streets (mainly in the tourist zone) per year. I have never been ticketed for any offense that wasn't warranted. On the 3 occasions in over 3 years that I have been ticketed, I was clearly in the wrong and deserved them. My fines so far have totaled 1,200 baht. There was absolutely no corruption involved and the tickets were paid at the police station. Only one of the cops hinted at an on the spot payment which I promptly rejected.

That's my experience. Others may not have been so lucky, but I do not feel like a target in Pattaya.

[Tokay]

ok i have him on picture:

here he is:

Tokay can you confirm that this is the cop in question.

I'm not 100% sure that's him. It sort of looks like him.

He was not wearing his helmet when he sprung on me and even looked a little older in the face. But he is the same color of brown. If that is him in the photos, he doesn't look the same due to the helmet and maybe the angle of the photos.

[Tokay]

I was clearly in the wrong and deserved them. There was absolutely no corruption involved and the tickets were paid at the police station.

I've had plenty of tickets that I deserved. I pay those and don't think anything about them. I brought it on myself.