Foreign Tourist Police Vounteers

[DonJuanDemarco]

From what I have seen, I do not get a very good vibe from these guys. There is something suspicious/off-putting about people who attempt to place themselves in a class monitor position, and in this case, not even in their own country.

[carmine]

Obviously i can't generalise here but the one's i know are a bunch of overgrown schoolboys who enjoy wearing costumes and strutting around with a percieved air of authority!

[mca]

From what I have seen, I do not get a very good vibe from these guys. There is something suspicious/off-putting about people who attempt to place themselves in a class monitor position, and in this case, not even in their own country.

So the Tourist Police are working in other countries now? What a scary thought.

[krading]

First time I saw the volunteers in Pattaya I thought they were a gang of 'Neo-nazi' skinheads out looking for trouble.

Perhaps I was wrong.

[cyb]

Obviously i can't generalise here but the one's i know are a bunch of overgrown schoolboys who enjoy wearing costumes and strutting around with a percieved air of authority!

All my contact with the tourist police volenteers have being good, on the whole i donot have a bad word against them.

It seems some of you do, Could that be due to your inability to see beyond someone trying to scam you or others?

[cyb]

From what I have seen, I do not get a very good vibe from these guys. There is something suspicious/off-putting about people who attempt to place themselves in a class monitor position, and in this case, not even in their own country.

So the Tourist Police are working in other countries now? What a scary thought.

Read the post again.

The poster said that they are placing themselves in a class monitor postion, that was not even in their own country.

Not that it was happening in other countries.

[sunholidaysun1]

Theres not a lot wrong with the Tourist Police , generally helpful and when you need a copper who can speak English its a great help .

The same goes for the Thai Police, I have had many an encounter and can honestly say I have only met one bad officer who tried to

go against the law and con me , but sadly he failed due to the others I knew on the force and as soon as I mentioned some names he was off like a shot.

As for the Volunteers you are talking about , the police should do some police checks from their home countries first to see if they are good enough citizens to even be considered for the role. Some look like more hardened criminals than honest law abiding citizens. Scary !!

[mca]

From what I have seen, I do not get a very good vibe from these guys. There is something suspicious/off-putting about people who attempt to place themselves in a class monitor position, and in this case, not even in their own country.

So the Tourist Police are working in other countries now? What a scary thought.

Read the post again.

The poster said that they are placing themselves in a class monitor postion, that was not even in their own country.

Not that it was happening in other countries.

With all due respect cyb I think you need to read his post again.

[JiveTalker]

From what I have seen, I do not get a very good vibe from these guys. There is something suspicious/off-putting about people who attempt to place themselves in a class monitor position, and in this case, not even in their own country.

I remember seeing a couple of them in Patong. A guy crossed the road a few metres up from where these police were helping people cross. They shouted at this guy and told him to cross where they wanted him too. This guy ignored them, crossed the road and toddled off. The tourist policeman chased after him, grabbed him round the neck and dragged him back to the other side of the road. A slight over reaction. You can't take these policemen seriously.

They are a strange bunch, guys who have a little something missing upstairs.

[Priceless]

Could somebody please clarify whether this thread is about the Thai Tourist Police or about the foreign "Police Volunteers"?

/ Priceless

[miatai]

something not right about them after the recent drug scare.....involving one of them

[TerryLH]

"Tourist Police Vounteers, your thoughts?"

You don't expect everyone to stay on topic, do you?

I haven't heard anything negative or positive about the volunteers here in KKC.

[Penkoprod]

I'm convinced that if you took away their pseudo LAPD/Nazi style uniforms and other paraphernalia, and issued them with a simple polo shirt with some reference to liaison volunteer, or some such wording instead, then a great number of them wouldnt turn up anymore, and go back to playing with their action figures and train sets. This would leave those that WERE in it for the good of the tourists to get on with the work in the manner it was intended to be done, and not like some "plastic police" like they portray now.

Penkoprod

[Travel2003]

From what I have seen, I do not get a very good vibe from these guys. There is something suspicious/off-putting about people who attempt to place themselves in a class monitor position, and in this case, not even in their own country.

You want to know what the members think about it?

Look in the general section again, and just a few threads below your, is a thread with a stunning 464 posts.

I guess at least 350 of those posts are what you look for.

[mysterybkk]

i dont really have anything bad to say about them. i think the idea is good, however, like many things in thailand, it's all about appearances. they have absolutely no authority to do anything and from what i've seen they act more like tour guides rather than police. all they really seem to do is give people information if they are in need.

of course this is just from my experience, maybe they do other things that i'm not aware of.

[way2muchcoffee]

I see nothing wrong with some guys who've been around a while, speak the language, and who want to help tourists and newer expats navigate through difficult situations. I suspect most of them are doing this for good reasons. Probably some get off on the power trip and those are the unfortunate ones.

[rabcbroon]

bunch of misfit wan*ers

[smokie36]

I'm convinced that if you took away their pseudo LAPD/Nazi style uniforms and other paraphernalia, and issued them with a simple polo shirt with some reference to liaison volunteer, or some such wording instead, then a great number of them wouldnt turn up anymore, and go back to playing with their action figures and train sets. This would leave those that WERE in it for the good of the tourists to get on with the work in the manner it was intended to be done, and not like some "plastic police" like they portray now.

Penkoprod

Polo shirts are a great idea. Make them more approachable.

I fear some may still want their shiny sheriff badge though.

[simon43]

Polo shirts are a great idea. Make them more approachable.

The foreign volunteers in the Phuket Tourist Police wear polo shirts

The foreign volunteer translators in Bangkok Lumpini police station wear polo shirts

Simon

[FarangForce5]

These farang volunteers are a sad bunch if you ask me. Im curious to hear explanations from a few of them as to why they decided to join the force. Cops in the States have a pretty bad reputation in the eyes of the general public, mostly because they seem to be on constant ego trips. These volunteer guys are on a whole other lever if you ask me. That earlier post about the Patong volunteer who grabbed a J-walker and forced him to re-cross the street is just insane. If that had happened to me, or even if I had just been a witness to that Im not even sure how I would of reacted. I know it would have gotten ugly, that's for sure...

[chuckwo]

I'm convinced that if you took away their pseudo LAPD/Nazi style uniforms and other paraphernalia, and issued them with a simple polo shirt with some reference to liaison volunteer, or some such wording instead, then a great number of them wouldnt turn up anymore, and go back to playing with their action figures and train sets. This would leave those that WERE in it for the good of the tourists to get on with the work in the manner it was intended to be done, and not like some "plastic police" like they portray now.

Penkoprod

That's exactly right penkoprod.......I wonder how much time these boys spend in the mirror admiring themselves?..........

[hansnl]

Theres not a lot wrong with the Tourist Police , generally helpful and when you need a copper who can speak English its a great help .

The same goes for the Thai Police, I have had many an encounter and can honestly say I have only met one bad officer who tried to

go against the law and con me , but sadly he failed due to the others I knew on the force and as soon as I mentioned some names he was off like a shot.

As for the Volunteers you are talking about , the police should do some police checks from their home countries first to see if they are good enough citizens to even be considered for the role. Some look like more hardened criminals than honest law abiding citizens. Scary !!

I presume you really mean the tourist police volunteers.

There are also police volunteers.

The last group, and I am neither, go through a screening including a screening by the police in their own country before admission.

What I know about the tourist police volunteers, well, obviously, they need some people able to speak English?

[hhgz]

"bunch of overgrown schoolboys who enjoy wearing costumes and strutting around with a percieved air of authority!"

It's not every day that you get to dress up as if you're invading Poland.

[mahtin]

It's not every day that you get to dress up as if you're invading Poland.

Yes, one has to wonder what other uniforms they may have in their closets.

[britmaveric]

Great lads who do good for the farang - volunteering their time rather than sit on their arse and type BS all day.

[Scott]

Topic title changed to better reflect the thread.

[Heng]

Do they have to pay for their uniforms and is there an opportunity to add tour of duty ribbons and medals to it?

[JUDAS]

I would seriously like to know how many people on this thread or others running on TV regarding the FTPV have actually had any interaction with them?

[mauGR1]

I would seriously like to know how many people on this thread or others running on TV regarding the FTPV have actually had any interaction with them?

My ex-neighbour was volunteering with Police for some time.

Very good guy,living in LoS about 20 years,married with children,having a regular business,speaking Thai and English fluently plus his native European language.

Nothing wrong with him at all from my point of view.

I guess he was a bit bored with everyday routine,and needed to get out some evening..

I saw him once with uniform,normally he had only the cap.

[cdnvic]

We don't need yet another thread running on this. Check out the "Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand" thread where the same opinions are being expressed.