This trip I've noticed a new addition to the ever increasing numbers of "officials" that seem to think it their duty to police Walking Street ( can anyone enlighten me as to why ONLY Walking Street has their "benefit", and not any of the other myriad bar areas of Pattaya, and why they allow so many obvious crimes ie child abuse to continue in full view of the public? )

Anyway, these new farang "officials" parade around in jackets with a large POLICE sign on their back, and a very small FPV at the bottom, whatever FPV means. Who are they? Are they Police? Do they have any Police powers? If they don't, what are they there to do that the Tourist Police Volunteers can't do? Perhaps it's time to put up a sign at the entrance to Walking Street saying who all these black shirts are, why they are there, and what they are allowed to do.

Does anyone else remember a time before Tourist Police Volunteers decided it would be a good idea to go and hang out on Walking Street? Everything seemed OK then.

Come to think of it, how many remember it before it was Walking Street, with motocys zipping up past Lucky Star barbeer and the Marine Disco open till 4 am followed by the other disco till long after dawn? Oh, those were the days!

Yawn ,this has been done to death already .Try to keep up .

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what are they there to do that the Tourist Police Volunteers can't do?

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Yawn ,this has been done to death already .Try to keep up .

Isn't the Op referring to something other than The Tourist Police Volunteers? ....

MODS please do us all a favour and close this quickly.

Let me answer this for you.

The guys with the hi-vis jackets are Foreign Police Volunteers attached to Pattaya Police Station, they are currently escorting US Navy and Air Force Officials around which is part of their regular duties when US Soldiers are here in Pattaya on a port visit.

They are seperate to the Foreign Tourist Police Assistants who are permanently stationed on Walking Street. We do not wear hi-vis jackets, just our regular black uniforms (which apparently scares some people on this forum).

Hope this helps.

Howard

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what are they there to do that the Tourist Police Volunteers can't do?

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Yawn ,this has been done to death already .Try to keep up .

Isn't the Op referring to something other than The Tourist Police Volunteers? ....

Thanks richard, nice to know that some people understand what they are reading.

Let me answer this for you.

The guys with the hi-vis jackets are Foreign Police Volunteers attached to Pattaya Police Station, they are currently escorting US Navy and Air Force Officials around which is part of their regular duties when US Soldiers are here in Pattaya on a port visit.

They are seperate to the Foreign Tourist Police Assistants who are permanently stationed on Walking Street. We do not wear hi-vis jackets, just our regular black uniforms (which apparently scares some people on this forum).

Hope this helps.

Howard

Thanks Howard. Question answered.

PS. I don't think people are scared of the black uniforms. It's the association with certain other organisations ( from the past ) that makes me ( us ) uncomfortable. Easily solved by wearing some other colour.

Would this uniform make people feel at ease??

Let me answer this for you.

The guys with the hi-vis jackets are Foreign Police Volunteers attached to Pattaya Police Station, they are currently escorting US Navy and Air Force Officials around which is part of their regular duties when US Soldiers are here in Pattaya on a port visit.

They are seperate to the Foreign Tourist Police Assistants who are permanently stationed on Walking Street. We do not wear hi-vis jackets, just our regular black uniforms (which apparently scares some people on this forum).

Hope this helps.

Howard

Thanks Howard. Question answered.

PS. I don't think people are scared of the black uniforms. It's the association with certain other organisations ( from the past ) that makes me ( us ) uncomfortable. Easily solved by wearing some other colour.

I think the rticence towards the black uniforms is understandable considering that the pattaya city fathers thought it was ok to display a 20ft high bill board showing Hitler doing a Nazi salute only covered up after complaint s from German and Israeli officials

Would this uniform make people feel at ease??

If not, maybe this would?

Its a shame of all the good intentions but the bottom line of the voluntaries is they are seen as going back to their youth to be a want-to-be Wyatt Earp fighting Billy the Kid.

>>Isn't the Op referring to something other than The Tourist Police Volunteers? ....

Yes ,the other group ( under their Fuhrer ,Niels C .)....same ,same ,but different !

They loiter around Soi 9 Police station ,where as the other group are in Walking street .

Great! The OP's question has been answered so this thread can close any time now.

The question was asked, Howard answered and I did not snip out any of the other replies to illustrate why I close this topic.

PS: Could we agree on not having a TPV threat for...say.....3 months? Thanks.