I was at the local market today and after walking around collecting my fruit and veggies,the tgf said she had to pop into the jewellers to see about getting a ring altered,"ok" i said i will wait on the corner near where we parked the motorbike and get myself an iced coffee while i was waitng.on this 4 way junction there is a 2 seater police box back from the road(unused)which i have very rarely seen anyone in,so as it was hot and nowhere else to shelter i thought it would be reasonable to sit on one of the stools inside,so sipping my coffee and watching the world go by, waiting for a few minutes for the good lady to finish her business.

As i looked to my right i saw the motorcycle of a policeman pull up adjacent to where i was sitting,thoughts obviously straight away as to is he ok or is he going to be a funny bugger? he walked up to me shaking his head with his helmet on and them chips sunglasses and asked in english "what you doing" i nonchalantly just said "waiting lady" and smiling said "ron mak mak" without a smile he asked me "passport?"

I took this as a small hint that he wasn"t impressed and stood up off the stool and reached into my hulster pocket and produced my passport and driving license....to which he examined both and gave back to me.

This proably took a few minutes and by now my partner was walking towards us both and looking fazed asked the policeman what was the problem?

He said to her that if he saw me sitting on the stool again he would arrest me for impersonating a police officer and that i was very lucky i had my id on me or he would of arrested me and took me to the station!! for further questioning <deleted>!!

Pretty quickly he changed tune and started asking my girlfriend where we lived and even joking about what i originally also thought would have been a light-hearted sort of incident.

My girlfriend was very apologetic on my behalf and we started walking off towards our bike and out of town.

In hindsight if i would have been anything other than calm and maybe never had my id on me it could have been worse?

A funny story to tell now though in the village over a couple of beers!!

Not fair!

Thanks for that warning, for I sat down for an Oishi in the shade in the same sort of place last month, and never thought about it at all. I reckon he was out to get you, unless you were wearing a brown shirt, sunnys and a gold helmet ... with a pistol on your belt?

Doesn't the oversized helmet above count ?

LOL

I don't think one should take such a threat seriously...

well it was a police box you were sitting in.

I'm just impressed you had your passport with you....

Don't know how he could get you for impersonating a police officer. Unless of course you were trying to extort money out of people. Then perhaps he may have had a good case.

I was armed.......i had a 2 pineapple and a melon! not to mention the pala for the misses,he must have thought something fishy going on

Maybe he should have been there in the first place.

At the police kiosk in Bandung, Udon I always see people sitting or lounging on the bench, cops are only there about 50% of the time.

Don't know how he could get you for impersonating a police officer. Unless of course you were trying to extort money out of people. Then perhaps he may have had a good case.

Not if you give him his commission

I'm just impressed you had your passport with you....

Always....its the law you know.

I'm just impressed you had your passport with you....

Always....its the law you know.

Never carried my passport around in over 20 years, just a photocopy of the current visa and the page with personal details. It's not been a problem so far.

I'm just impressed you had your passport with you....

Always....its the law you know.

I'm just impressed

out shopping with the missus

coffee with the BiB

And 22 posts today

Respect

The time share parasites in Pattaya use the police box near the entrance to Villa supermarket most of each day.

Maybe they cut the BiB in on their commission.

I'm just impressed you had your passport with you....

Always....its the law you know.

I'm just impressed

out shopping with the missus

coffee with the BiB

And 22 posts today

Respect

I do give her an hour of my time for lunch and also every evening she can do what she must with me!

My friends and I did the same thing every evening in Pattaya just to watch the traffic go by. No cop ever bothered us. The cops stop using that booth in the afternoon, and it's right in front of a 7-11 shop on a VERY busy intersection. I should have brought my video camera to shoot movies of the crazy traffic and near miss accidents. A crazy Irish guy, Cec, sits there every evening just to watch the action. In the course of half an hour we were propositioned at least a dozen times by the passing ladies. The few cops that drove by on their motorcycles never said a thing about us sitting there. It's like everywhere in Thailand; the local police make up their own rules.

The reason for this cops attitude is because the OP was sitting in his space and domain.

The police facility is there for police officials, not as a leisure hut for the likes of tourists and general members of the public.

Edited January 16, 201016 yr by BigWheelMan

My friends and I did the same thing every evening in Pattaya just to watch the traffic go by. No cop ever bothered us. The cops stop using that booth in the afternoon, and it's right in front of a 7-11 shop on a VERY busy intersection. I should have brought my video camera to shoot movies of the crazy traffic and near miss accidents. A crazy Irish guy, Cec, sits there every evening just to watch the action. In the course of half an hour we were propositioned at least a dozen times by the passing ladies. The few cops that drove by on their motorcycles never said a thing about us sitting there. It's like everywhere in Thailand; the local police make up their own rules.

I have done the same thing before in Pattaya so you could say i am a persistant offender?

The annoying thing is i have seen many thais sitting there also in the past this is why i thought i would not be a problem! when he rolled up and first confronted me i thought it would be quite jovial but it is that menacing look and they never take there sunglasses off so you can"t actually judge what sort of reaction your getting when trying to talk your way out of it.

I always have my passport and my driving license with me where ever i go,if i am driving it is easier as this incident today proved!

He could of got funny like my good lady said.

I'm just impressed you had your passport with you....

This had not escaped me neither Mr. Neverdie. 

I'm just impressed you had your passport with you....

This had not escaped me neither Mr. Neverdie.

ahh theres nothing like laying a bait .

I'm just impressed you had your passport with you....

This had not escaped me neither Mr. Neverdie.

ahh theres nothing like laying a bait .

tại sao không

The reason for this cops attitude is because the OP was sitting in his space and domain.

The police facility is there for police officials, not as a leisure hut for the likes of tourists and general members of the public.

Agreed - heinous offence. Hope he wasn't eating donuts either, then he may been looking at doing some hard time.

I'm curious about what would have happened if he had tried the "impersonating a police officer" bit at the station. I get the feeling this was a probe for some Singha money. If your wife hadn't come along, I wonder what would have happened?

(back at the station)

cop - Ah, chief? I caught this guy impersonating a police officer.

chief - Are we hiring farang now? Has our uniform changed into a Beer Chang tee-shirt and Hawaiian shorts? Amazing Thailand!

:D

Yeah right, a farang impersonating a Thai police man! That's a good one. You could have fooled the whole population.

I guess you were wearing a brown shirt, a bit too tight around the belly, sunglasses and a big 45 Magnum. You could have fooled me.

if you did not have your passport you would have had to donate to this personal fun fund

I get the feeling this was a probe for some Singha money. If your wife hadn't come along, I wonder what would have happened?

Yeah, probably was, lucky his passport was with him and the wife showed up. I would never sit in a police box in Thailand because of that, no reason to give them an excuse to harass you.

I'm just impressed you had your passport with you....

Always....its the law you know.

Never carried my passport around in over 20 years, just a photocopy of the current visa and the page with personal details. It's not been a problem so far.

I have never ever carried my passport been here 5 yrs never been asked for it, on the two occasions I have been asked for ID I have produced my Thai driving licence, to be honest I never knew you were required to carry it!

I dont want to think about the aggravation it would cause me if I lost it. I would go for copies option.

Will you go and sit in a police box in Europe or the USA? Don't think so... So why do it in Thailand? oh yeah sure... You are superior.

Will you go and sit in a police box in Europe or the USA? Don't think so... So why do it in Thailand? oh yeah sure... You are superior.

Yes quite correct,by sitting in one of these it made me feel i was extra-ordinary! it works you should try it,the feeling i got while i was sipping my iced coffee was something else,almost super human! (TIT)

Will you go and sit in a police box in Europe or the USA? Don't think so... So why do it in Thailand? oh yeah sure... You are superior.

Yes quite correct,by sitting in one of these it made me feel i was extra-ordinary! it works you should try it,the feeling i got while i was sipping my iced coffee was something else,almost super human! (TIT)

You should have told him that you did not know that this was a police box as you have never seen a copper wearing this type of hat and that you cannot read Thai, "just thought they were similar to a park bench but with somewhere to put your drink guv".

Edited January 19, 201016 yr by alfieconn