Cheated By Thai Police

[tombkk]

All these troll thread about the police always end up the same way (and this is also my experience)

- the traffic police is not that bad

- They usually never stop you for an offense you haven't committed

- The fine is always a fraction of the fine you would get in your home country for a similar offense

Then regarding some earlier posts, could someone please tell me in which country it's considered a smart idea to argue with a policeman ?

Agree. This is one good thing about the Thai traffic police: They will only stop you if you have really violated the traffic laws.

[Berkshire]

All these troll thread about the police always end up the same way (and this is also my experience)

- the traffic police is not that bad

- They usually never stop you for an offense you haven't committed

- The fine is always a fraction of the fine you would get in your home country for a similar offense

Then regarding some earlier posts, could someone please tell me in which country it's considered a smart idea to argue with a policeman ?

Agree. This is one good thing about the Thai traffic police: They will only stop you if you have really violated the traffic laws.

Agree with both you guys. Haven't had any problems with the police in the 10+ years I've been here. Was stopped for speeding about 3-4 years ago (and I was speeding) and got the standard 200 bt fine. No hassles. No problems. Paid the fine and was on my way. Infinitely better than getting caught for any traffic violation in the west. As for the troll...eh, OP, I assume he must have been engaged in something dodgy to begin with. But since he's vanished into thin air, we'll never know.

[bonobo]

Got stopped once for turning right. I earnestly showed the cop the right turn arrow in the lane, and he laughed and told me that was for buses only. He let me go with a warning. Then on the expressway, I took the Rama IX exit. A cop stopped me and told me I made a dangerous left turn. I don't know what came over me, but i got pretty upset and told him he just gave me the ticket because I was a farang. He insisted that I was too far away for him to see my face, so I told him that if I was too far away when I made this supposed dangerous swerve into the exit, then it couldn't have been that dangerous. He thought for a moment, then waved me on. I can't believe that 1) I got so defensive, and 2) that he let me go.

(Of course, a couple of weeks ago, I got caught on camera going through a red light, something I rarely do, but I guess I thought I could make it while it was still yellow, and I had to fork out the 400 baht for that.)

All told, I have been stopped 7 times by police. Twice, as I wrote above, they just let me go. Once, as no one spoke English, they waved me through. Twice, the cops just wanted money and stopped me for DWF, and I called a friend who told them to let me go. And twice, I paid the ticket. 2 out of 7 stops isn't too bad, especially as for 2 of the other stops where I didn't pay, I did break the driving laws.

[Chonburiram]

Speak Thai.

Plead stupidy. Not knowing the law.

Be apologetic.

Be very polite.

Act like it's the first time you've been pulled over for such an offense, and genuinely didn't know.

This often gets me away without a fine nor tea money.

I agree. Many people tell me to pretend that I don't speak Thai. Speaking Thai with them has gotten me out of several situations.

Spot on!

Once I picked up my stepdaughter and a classmate of her from school and on our way home I did an illegal shortcut (U-turn) . Got waved aside

by our friends and was readily prepared to pass over my 100 ฿ .

We all had our seat belts on and the two lassies where sleeping on the backseat; after changing a few words and me trying to pass over the 100 discreetly

the policeman said: Farang speak Thai do not need to pay police!

RESPECT

[hanuman1]

When I lived in Bangkok and rode a bike I had several encounters with police. Just a couple:

Once I got pulled over having done nothing wrong. The policeman basically said '1000Bt or we go to the police station'. I had less than 100 baht in my wallet so i said 'sorry, I can't pay'. Then he said 'okay, 500 baht', so I said 'sorry, i really have very little money'. Then he said '200 baht'. I showed him the contents of my wallet then put my wrists together as if handcuffed and said 'okay, let's go'. He waved me on.

Another time a traffic policeman who was directing traffic at a busy crossroads pulled me over. He wanted a few hundred baht. I don't think I'd done anything wrong, but I was in a hurry so gave it to him straight away. He was so happy and surprised that I didn't attempt to haggle that he went to his stand (you know, the one with the big policeman's helmet for a canopy) and came back with a plastic bag which he motioned for me to take something out of. I looked in and there was a mix of red bulls and tins of Chang. I took out a red bull and went on my way.

Most of the time, it seemed to me that if you didn't speak Thai, they'd just hold you there by the road for 10 minutes then let you go.

[PingManDan]

Amazing Thailand

Edited December 24, 2010 by bonobo
changed font

[dmax]

i get cheated at least once a mth when driving for beer money wife tells me to pay up , one of these days im gonna tell them to <deleted> off !!

[TAWP]

i get cheated at least once a mth when driving for beer money wife tells me to pay up , one of these days im gonna tell them to <deleted> off !!

Why are you driving for beer money?

Edited December 25, 2010 by TAWP

[soundman]

i get cheated at least once a mth when driving for beer money wife tells me to pay up , one of these days im gonna tell them to <deleted> off !!

Assuming the policeman actually understands "<deleted> off" - I am sure this will precipitate a rather interesting & animated response.

[tombkk]

i get cheated at least once a mth when driving for beer money wife tells me to pay up , one of these days im gonna tell them to <deleted> off !!

Assuming the policeman actually understands "<deleted> off" - I am sure this will precipitate a rather interesting & animated response.

Percactly. But I'm also curious to know what "driving for beer money" means.

[soundman]

i get cheated at least once a mth when driving for beer money wife tells me to pay up , one of these days im gonna tell them to <deleted> off !!

Assuming the policeman actually understands "<deleted> off" - I am sure this will precipitate a rather interesting & animated response.

Percactly. But I'm also curious to know what "driving for beer money" means.

I think he means "I get cheated when driving, for beer (or whisky or tea) money"

[lucjoker]

I gave a copper 1000b once for a 400b fine.

Got 600b change.

2 days ago ,i came back from Hua Hin,on the toll gates,police were waching for farangs in

cars.The stopped me ,and told my lady that i could not drive my Ford Ranger,4-door ,pickup,

without a hard top on the back .??????? " things can fall off,so all pickups must have a hard-top.

If i did not like it ,he would give me a ticket and i have to leave my car and take a taxi to the center of

Bangkok,to pay the fine. I could choose also to pay him 400 bht,and drive on ,wich i did.

10 minutes later ,on the next toll gate ,they stopped me again . I had to take the most left tollgate

of the 6 gates....because i drove a pick-up !!!!????????

Same story....pay or laeve the car...........

Is there nothing you can do to prevent these robberies???????

[Beetlejuice]

This whole thread is stupid.

Can`t believe I just spent 5 minutes of my life reading the posts.

Edited January 23, 2011 by Beetlejuice

[nocturn]

I gave a copper 1000b once for a 400b fine.

Got 600b change.

I have never had a thai cop take over the agreed amount of money. On one occasion the officer told me to wait a second, hopped on his bike and came back minutes later with change for my 1000 baht from the nearest 7.

Edited January 23, 2011 by nocturn

[wolf5370]

Never been fined here personally. Been stopped, told to slow down, told I'm driving the wrong way in a one way street (once), etc, but never fined for it. Mrs got fined 400Baht when we bought a second hand car that had an expired tax sticker - to register it she had to drive it to the licensing place so they could do a check and re-register it and tax it - she explained this, but no joy. The MIL was with her (I wasn't) and she tore the cop a new one about his rude tone of speech!

[richard_smith237]

I gave a copper 1000b once for a 400b fine.

Got 600b change.

2 days ago ,i came back from Hua Hin,on the toll gates,police were waching for farangs in

cars.The stopped me ,and told my lady that i could not drive my Ford Ranger,4-door ,pickup,

without a hard top on the back .??????? " things can fall off,so all pickups must have a hard-top.

If i did not like it ,he would give me a ticket and i have to leave my car and take a taxi to the center of

Bangkok,to pay the fine. I could choose also to pay him 400 bht,and drive on ,wich i did.

10 minutes later ,on the next toll gate ,they stopped me again . I had to take the most left tollgate

of the 6 gates....because i drove a pick-up !!!!????????

Same story....pay or laeve the car...........

Is there nothing you can do to prevent these robberies???????

I agree with this rule - stuff does fly out of pickups and it happens all too often.

Did you have anything in the bed of your pickup ?

[wordchild]

I gave a copper 1000b once for a 400b fine.

Got 600b change.

2 days ago ,i came back from Hua Hin,on the toll gates,police were waching for farangs in

cars.The stopped me ,and told my lady that i could not drive my Ford Ranger,4-door ,pickup,

without a hard top on the back .??????? " things can fall off,so all pickups must have a hard-top.

If i did not like it ,he would give me a ticket and i have to leave my car and take a taxi to the center of

Bangkok,to pay the fine. I could choose also to pay him 400 bht,and drive on ,wich i did.

10 minutes later ,on the next toll gate ,they stopped me again . I had to take the most left tollgate

of the 6 gates....because i drove a pick-up !!!!????????

Same story....pay or laeve the car...........

Is there nothing you can do to prevent these robberies???????

I agree with this rule - stuff does fly out of pickups and it happens all too often.

Did you have anything in the bed of your pickup ?

i also agree with this rule; was nearly killed once when some pickup i was behind on the highway shed a couple of boxes from his load 20m in front of me, both of us doing about 120k , missed them,just!

Edited January 23, 2011 by wordchild

[JWJ]

A friend of mine was pulled over in Cambodia. He asked the officer "what's the problem?"

The Officer replied " I need beer and cigarettes, give me 10 dollars"

[mstribling]

This pretty much the norm outside of Europe and N. America. I've been taxed all over Asia, Africa, and C/S America's. In Mexico your lucky the cops just tax you.

Here? Cheap fines and little risk of life. Unless...

[timekeeper]

years ago i was riding with no helmet down to the Dusit roundabout in Pattaya

i saw a cop on the other side so i U turned at the entrance to the roundabout to avoid him and went back up Pattaya Thai

i turned in to lotus tesco and parked up

seconds later the cop was alongside me

he said why you u turn at roundabout?

i said my wife phone me, emergency, new baby have no diapers

he say oh, ok, go get them

i said what?

he said go get diapers

so off i go into lotus, get some diapers, come back down.

he was still there, when i came back

he said ok you go home now, take care baby

he followed me out the car park to sukhumvit road, then U turned and presumably went back to the roundabout

my wife laughed when i got home

we have no baby.

i felt a bit ashamed for lying when he was so good natured but its been a standard Thailand story ever since

my wife still laughs about it..........

[H2oDunc]

A friend of mine was rushing to make the ferry back to Samui from Donsak. He was pulled over by the BIB on the main road. He handed the officer his license and the standard 400 baht fine money. The officer checked the license then handed the guy 200 baht back and explained the fine was only 200 baht

[IanForbes]

This whole thread is stupid.

Can`t believe I just spent 5 minutes of my life reading the posts.

Ah, cummon now, BJ (oh, can I call you THAT?), You know we are only here for the fun of polking others.

Thailand has a different system as anyone with a brain quickly realizes. In western countries we pay police a good salary and they are expected to live on it. In Thailand they pay poor wages and the officer is expected to supplement that with bribes (tea money). There is no need to get upset about it and call it cheating. Just consider it a "tax" which all countries need to survive on. The most simple of offences in Canada or the USA START at about 6000 baht and go up from there. You DON'T try bribing a police officer unless you want to be hauled off to jail. A simple 200 or 400 baht fine for some silly infraction is just part of being in Thailand. Pay it with a grin and a laugh. The more you argue the worse it gets.

[JurgenG]

Why this assumption that there are no corrupt cops in the west, that cops in Europe or the USA don't accept bribes, Just people with a brain are not involved in criminal activities in those countries. Why they do it in Thailand (visa overstay, illegal work, pimping ...) is beyond me.

Honest people don't have problem with the police in Thailand.

Edited January 24, 2011 by JurgenG

[mstribling]

Why this assumption that there are no corrupt cops in the west, that cops in Europe or the USA don't accept bribes, Just people with a brain are not involved in criminal activities in those countries. Why they do it in Thailand (visa overstay, illegal work, pimping ...) is beyond me.

Honest people don't have problem with the police in Thailand.

Aside from our Russian friends, who is pimping? I can't say I have ever encountered a pimp in Thailand.

I know in the US we have plenty of crooked cops. Few people do that kind of work without taking a taste.

This last statement is naive. I'm not the most honest person and I don't have a problem. I just pay.

[jdinasia]

All these troll thread about the police always end up the same way (and this is also my experience)

- the traffic police is not that bad

- They usually never stop you for an offense you haven't committed

- The fine is always a fraction of the fine you would get in your home country for a similar offense

Then regarding some earlier posts, could someone please tell me in which country it's considered a smart idea to argue with a policeman ?

Agree. This is one good thing about the Thai traffic police: They will only stop you if you have really violated the traffic laws.

I don't think this is at all an accurate statement. The police in Patong (Phuket) pull over foreigners all the time on motorcycles (to check for a license) and I have been stopped MANY times in BKK on the motorcycle for random inspections that they were doing on all cyclists. It is worth note that as soon as you reach for your wallet (in either place) suggesting that you do indeed have a license, they will often wave you on. I think I know why they do that with foreigners in BKK. On one of the three ocassions I have gotten a ticket in BKK, where it says "name" in Thai on the ticket; the officer filled in "Driver License" since that is the first thing that appears under the state name.

[mstribling]

All these troll thread about the police always end up the same way (and this is also my experience)

- the traffic police is not that bad

- They usually never stop you for an offense you haven't committed

- The fine is always a fraction of the fine you would get in your home country for a similar offense

Then regarding some earlier posts, could someone please tell me in which country it's considered a smart idea to argue with a policeman ?

Agree. This is one good thing about the Thai traffic police: They will only stop you if you have really violated the traffic laws.

I don't think this is at all an accurate statement. The police in Patong (Phuket) pull over foreigners all the time on motorcycles (to check for a license) and I have been stopped MANY times in BKK on the motorcycle for random inspections that they were doing on all cyclists. It is worth note that as soon as you reach for your wallet (in either place) suggesting that you do indeed have a license, they will often wave you on. I think I know why they do that with foreigners in BKK. On one of the three ocassions I have gotten a ticket in BKK, where it says "name" in Thai on the ticket; the officer filled in "Driver License" since that is the first thing that appears under the state name.

[JurgenG]

Why this assumption that there are no corrupt cops in the west, that cops in Europe or the USA don't accept bribes, Just people with a brain are not involved in criminal activities in those countries. Why they do it in Thailand (visa overstay, illegal work, pimping ...) is beyond me.

Honest people don't have problem with the police in Thailand.

Aside from our Russian friends, who is pimping? I can't say I have ever encountered a pimp in Thailand.

I know in the US we have plenty of crooked cops. Few people do that kind of work without taking a taste.

This last statement is naive. I'm not the most honest person and I don't have a problem. I just pay.

IMO owning a bar, or any other place, where prostitutes work is pimping

[mstribling]

Why this assumption that there are no corrupt cops in the west, that cops in Europe or the USA don't accept bribes, Just people with a brain are not involved in criminal activities in those countries. Why they do it in Thailand (visa overstay, illegal work, pimping ...) is beyond me.

Honest people don't have problem with the police in Thailand.

Aside from our Russian friends, who is pimping? I can't say I have ever encountered a pimp in Thailand.

I know in the US we have plenty of crooked cops. Few people do that kind of work without taking a taste.

This last statement is naive. I'm not the most honest person and I don't have a problem. I just pay.

IMO owning a bar, or any other place, where prostitutes work is pimping

It's good to be the judge ain't it?

[JurgenG]

^ You get me wrong, I'm not judging, just stating facts.

I know there is a world of petty criminals, pimp, prostitute and crook cops. I can even understand why they exist. I just don't want to have anything to do with them. And so far I'm successful and that's the reason why I can say that honest people don't have problem with the police and especially the rotten apples. My argument was that a number of people cross a line they wouldn't cross in their home country and I'm not surprise of the problem they have. This is not a Thailand related problem, more a common sense problem.

[MaiDong]

A friend of mine was pulled over in Cambodia. He asked the officer "what's the problem?"

The Officer replied " I need beer and cigarettes, give me 10 dollars"

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA