A Copper Who Deserves A Promotion!

[TheyCallmeScooter]

Report complaints to police at 7-11, writes Wassayos Ngarmkham in Bangkok Post

The ''7-Eleven Police Emergency Contact for Tourists'' project will begin on Nov 1 in Chon Buri's Pattaya and Bang Lamung district. Tourists in distress will be able to lodge complaints at selected branches of the chain and staff will then contact police immediately.

The project was initiated by Tourist Police Division chief Adis Ngamjitsuksri, who wanted to take advantage of the fact that 7-Eleven outlets significantly outnumbered police booths.

''The stores also operate around the clock,'' Pol Maj Gen Adis said. ''I thought it would be a good idea if we used these stores as a network to receive complaints.''

CP All Plc, the operator of 7-Eleven, had cooperated in the initiative, he said. The project is aimed at improving the country's image on matters of safety and to ensure that police services were available quickly to tourists when necessary.

The project will be expanded if it is successful to other tourism destinations such as Chiang Mai, Phuket, Koh Samui and parts of Bangkok popular with tourists such as Silom, Khao San and Sukhumvit roads.

Complaint forms will be available at 7-Eleven outlets where staff members are unable to speak English. ''After receiving complaints, staffers will immediately alert tourist or local police,'' he said.

"Tourists are important customers for us," Mr Suwit said.

"After the two-month pilot project, we are ready to expand this service nationwide.

[Thaddeus]

Does a BIB then arrive with a plastic bag and a straw.

What a great way of collecting complaints, actually doing something about the complaints may be a different matter.

[mca]

Complaint forms will be available at 7-Eleven outlets where staff members are unable to speak English.

Might be a tad difficult to write " I've been stabbed " while you drift in and out of consciousness as a local puts his purchases on the counter next to you saying " Khrong Thip Song".

Edited October 4, 2010 by mca

[canuckamuck]

I will resist my natural impulse to make a joke (this time only) and just say, this is a great idea.

Hope they have an equally great plan for response.

[Thaddeus]

For one brief second there I saw six dots

[TheyCallmeScooter]

Complaint forms will be available at 7-Eleven outlets where staff members are unable to speak English.

Might be a tad difficult to write " I've been stabbed " while you drift in and out of consciousness as a local puts his purchases on the counter next to you saying " Khrong Thip Song".

I wouldn't bother with the writing if I got stabbed; I imagine charades might do the trick.

If you have to overact it, you'll probably be fine with a Band-Aid.

As I'd imagine most people near a 7-11 who've been mugged or assaulted wouldn't require the 7-11 to be an official police networked store for them to stagger in for help; I got the impression from the article that the 7-11s could be used for less dramatic / urgent complaints as well. Stuff that you wouldn't probably bother with finding a police station for, like pickpocketed or ripped off or if you walk past pornography stalls selling child pornography and god knows what.

If the complaints aren't immediately filed in the "lol Basket", this is a genuinely brilliant win / win / win concept.

[mca]

It is a good initiative but ( isn't there always a but?)

A number of years ago I was strolling near Khon Kaen Night Market and saw a guy fall over. Getting closer I realised he was having an epileptic fit. Knowing extremely rudimentary first aid I put him in the recovery position and a local guy phoned for an ambulance. A couple of Khon Kaen's finest on traffic duty no more than 20 metres away just stood and watched the whole thing. One even made a comment to the other which made him laugh.

I've got my doubts as to how swiftly a lot of these incidents will be dealt with. Especially on a nationwide scale. Smack bang in a tourist hot spot maybe. But round my way? I dunno.

[evanson]

Is this the same CP Group who had a village headman gunned down because of his resistance to their destroying the local mangrove forest to make way for one of their prawn farms?

[Caliguy]

Haha good one Thaddeus. I think the straw comes from when they only had the recycled glass bottles here(plastic bottles weren't here yet) even though they most likely sanitized the things who would want to put their lips on a glass bottle that 100's or even 1000's of other people had their lips on? The plastic bags with everything is that most Thai's dont give a good <deleted> about pollution.

It's almost the same reason they stand on the toilets instead of sitting because they know other dirty asses have been on it. Afraid of butt germs and the like but never afraid of chicken or pork hanging out in the sun for half the day then cooking it and eating it.