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Question About Police Rank

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Hi

I had an interesting chat over too many whiskies the other night with a police captain.

He came out with some pretty surprising stories about policing in Thailand and I just wanted to know if this was the drunken talk of some puffed-up rank-and-filer or if, as a captain, he was speaking from a position of relative authority.

So I'd be grateful if someone could tell me how many 'rungs up the ladder' the rank of 'captain' is?

Thanks in advance.

Here goes - copy and paste =

Commissioned officers

พลตำรวจเอก - Police General (phon tamruat ek)

พลตำรวจโท - Police Lieutenant General (phon tamruat tho)

พลตำรวจตรี- Police Major General (phon tamruat tri)

พลตำรวจจัตวา - Police Brigadier General (not in use now) (phon tamruat jattawa)

พันตำรวจเอก (พิเศษ) - Police Senior Colonel (equivalent to Police Brigadier General) (phan tamruat ek phiset)

พันตำรวจเอก - Police Colonel (phan tamruat ek)

พันตำรวจโท - Police Lieutenant Colonel (phan tamruat tho)

พันตำรวจตรี - Police Major (phan tamruat tri)

ร้อยตำรวจเอก - Police Captain (roi tamruat ek)

ร้อยตำรวจโท - Police Lieutenant (roi tamruat tho)

ร้อยตำรวจตรี - Police Sub-Lieutenant (roi tamruat tri)

Non-commissioned officers

ดาบตำรวจ - Police Senior Sergeant Major (dap tamruat)

จ่าสิบตำรวจ - Police Sergeant Major (ja sip tamruat)

สิบตำรวจเอก - Police Sergeant (sip tamruat ek)

สิบตำรวจโท - Police Corporal (sip tamruat tho)

สิบตำรวจตรี - Police Lance Corporal (sip tamruat tri)

พลตำรวจ - Policeman/Constable (phon tamruat)

  • Author

Thanks for that, Payboy.

Now I just need to figure out the difference between commissioned and non-commissioned and should then have the full picture.

Cheers.

Non-commissioned officers need to sit an exam in order to get commissioned officers rank which puts them higher up in the food chain.

Non-commissioned officers need to sit an exam in order to get commissioned officers rank which puts them higher up in the food chain.

How much is the price of the examination? :whistling:

With minor differences, it's the same scale as the British army... in which a captain is a fairly junior officer (a naval Captain is equivalent to an army Colonel). I guess that's where it was copied from.

Non-commissioned officers need to sit an exam in order to get commissioned officers rank which puts them higher up in the food chain.

How much is the price of the examination? :whistling:

Same price as to be an Army officer !!! :blink:

  • Author

They all still have to buy their own firearms, which I find amazing.

hanuman, now repeat some of the stories you heard from him and we'll rip them to pieces.

Every farang I meet has several very high ranking police contacts and personal moles close to the Prime Minister/Pope/Barrack Obama -- but I guess that is standard for former Special Ops Black Sunday Hush Hush type blokes. :)

Every farang I meet has several very high ranking police contacts and personal moles close to the Prime Minister/Pope/Barrack Obama -- but I guess that is standard for former Special Ops Black Sunday Hush Hush type blokes. :)

I just gave some sam song to a muh bahn security gard who kept greeting me friendly in his best english. Does that count too ?

  • Author

hanuman, now repeat some of the stories you heard from him and we'll rip them to pieces.

Well some of the things he said were about companies and individuals which would break forum rules to implicate. I was surprised to hear though, that from his viewpoint, corruption in the police is worse now than 20 years ago. Discuss, rip apart, do what you like to this one.

Every farang I meet has several very high ranking police contacts and personal moles close to the Prime Minister/Pope/Barrack Obama -- but I guess that is standard for former Special Ops Black Sunday Hush Hush type blokes. :)

Yep.

I have noticed that the chief of police of Pattaya seems to be a very popular chap. The number of farangs who have his direct number and can call for his help any time is incredible.

Another empty hush hush thread teaser zzzzzzzzz:boring:

Payboy, I recently met a policeman who said he was 4 up from the bottom rank. He wore plain-clothes, and had a Magnum 357 under his T-shirt. He didn't drive an official police vehicle, and seemed to have lots of freedom of movement. Is he likely to be commissioned or non-comm'd do you think? Thanks, ignoramus.

With minor differences, it's the same scale as the British army... in which a captain is a fairly junior officer (a naval Captain is equivalent to an army Colonel). I guess that's where it was copied from.

Agreed, the scales are the same, and just as in the British Army there are junior captains and comparatively senior ones. One could be a direct entry acting captain with only a couple of years experience since leaving the "chappie factory", while another could have worked his way through the ranks for twenty years to Warrant Officer before getting comissioned.

Payboy, I recently met a policeman who said he was 4 up from the bottom rank. He wore plain-clothes, and had a Magnum 357 under his T-shirt. He didn't drive an official police vehicle, and seemed to have lots of freedom of movement. Is he likely to be commissioned or non-comm'd do you think? Thanks, ignoramus.

Hard to tell, probably non-commissioned - could be a sergeant with the CSD or similar. As for the gun, they're free to buy their own - any make. ;)

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