Metro Police to Cut Crime Frequency

The Metropolitan Police Bureau has set a target of a 20-percent drop in crime over the next six months, investing a budget of 200 million baht to achieve this goal.

The spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Police Major General Piya Uthayo, has disclosed that the police force is determined to cut the crime rate by 10 percent before March 2011 and by 20 percent by June 2011.

He said the realization of this goal will involve the installation of 880 closed-circuited televisions in 250 risky areas.

In addition, the bureau will categorize the degree of crime in Bangkok into four groups.

The first group is districts with very high rates of crime, such as Chokchai and Minburi.

The second group is districts where crime is deemed high, the third group somewhat high, and the last group moderate.

The spokesperson disclosed that the 200 million baht budget will be used to help security officers improve, but also to seek cooperation from members of the public.

He concluded by insisting that all police stations will have to forward crime statistics to the Metropolitan Police Bureau each week, so the development of the project can be monitored.

-- Tan Network 2011-01-12

BP has already reported that the commander of the crime suppression has said that a 20% reduction across the city is 'impossible' and he is reinterpreting the policy:

"I interpret from what the prime minister said that the government only wants to implement this policy in spots considered crime-prone"

Nice re-shuffling of the goal-posts there.

No one seems to have mentioned that the easiest way to reduce all crime by 20% is to sack 20% of the police force...

I can't help thinking that the cameras will not be able to record much of interest since advertising boards will block the view. The crooks will note where the cameras are anyway. I wonder if they remember to load film into the cameras.

I can't help thinking that the cameras will not be able to record much of interest since advertising boards will block the view. The crooks will note where the cameras are anyway. I wonder if they remember to load film into the cameras.

This is thailand. It will not have film that is too modern...just a man inside drawing the picture.

Edited January 12, 201115 yr by harrry

No one seems to have mentioned that the easiest way to reduce all crime by 20% is to sack 20% of the police force...

Nail on the head 100% on this one, well said.

Easy Peasy - just record 20% less reports. Most try their best to send you away anyway.

Easy Peasy - just record 20% less reports. Most try their best to send you away anyway.

dont forget with a little tea money payment

Easy Peasy - just record 20% less reports. Most try their best to send you away anyway.

No doubt this is going to happen because it sounds like they are taking steps to record more crimes and catch more people and that is NOT going to bring the crime rate down initially. Over time it will but first you are going to see a spike in number of people arrested for crimes which should make the crime rate appear higher since I am sure they often convince uninsured people not to make a report when they have no clue who the suspect is but now hopefully they will catch the suspect on camera as well as seeing more so-called victimless crime such as drug dealing that isn't reported..

I can't help thinking that the cameras will not be able to record much of interest since advertising boards will block the view. The crooks will note where the cameras are anyway. I wonder if they remember to load film into the cameras.

The crooks will be installing them especially away from thier interests. I think a 2% reduction is dreaming when the police are part of it. Tell them they are dreaming.

No one seems to have mentioned that the easiest way to reduce all crime by 20% is to sack 20% of the police force...

Best solution so far.......do I sense another "crackdown" on the horizon....

No one seems to have mentioned that the easiest way to reduce all crime by 20% is to sack 20% of the police force...

Best solution so far.......do I sense another "crackdown" on the horizon....

Your quite right they have just announced a crackdown on crackdowns.

It is a good idea. But, who will be monitoring the CCTV. Will it be streamed live to a local police station, which may or maynot have a policeman watching or to a central hub where all the cameras are under 24hr supervision, by a group of specially trained CCTV operatives, and the hub has a hotline to the local police stations.

Or as i'd imagine, will the cameras have no one monitoring then and will simply be recording, so by chance they may or may not catch any criminal activity, which may or may not be reported.

A few more details of the actual implementation would be welcome.

Yep, easily achievable without setting foot outside their station doors!

Yes, this is not a well thought out order from the government. Any idea of "arrest quotas" will create (even more!) selective law enforcement, as it did in the War on Drugs in the first half of the decade.

There are two ways to cut crime frequency by 20%: 1) to prevent 20% of crime; 2) to refuse to investigate 20% of crime reports.

BP has already reported that the commander of the crime suppression has said that a 20% reduction across the city is 'impossible' and he is reinterpreting the policy:

"I interpret from what the prime minister said that the government only wants to implement this policy in spots considered crime-prone"

Nice re-shuffling of the goal-posts there.

No one seems to have mentioned that the easiest way to reduce all crime by 20% is to sack 20% of the police force...

Or change the laws.

I wonder how much of the 200 million budget will go into someone's back pocket

Will there be another 200 million baht for the following six months? And the 6 after that and the 6 after that? Thai police are like flies. They are nowhere to be seen at night.

Whilst the cat is away [in this case either asleep, pissed or both] the mice will play.

Edited January 12, 201115 yr by coma

quote: The spokesperson disclosed that the 200 million baht budget will be used to help security officers improve, but also to seek cooperation from members of the public.

That reads as if they are going to giving the money to the public as payment for their co-operation.

I imagine half their families will be on the receiving end of that lot then; their mates having another lump; and, the mias the rest.

At least they are learning to keep the numbers down to stuff like 20 [%] instead of the previous figures of 'cutting crime in half.'

Mind you with men like Kanchanaburi's Police Man of the year [two years running] now behind bars on a murder charge of a British National, how will the BIB do it?

I expect this 20% to come about by way of 20% of the Force doing less of the job they already fail to do. Difficult, but it'll get done I expect, in the public interest.

No one seems to have mentioned that the easiest way to reduce all crime by 20% is to sack 20% of the police force...

Nail on the head 100% on this one, well said.

Good post!

Bangkok Metro Police To Cut Crime Frequency By 20% Over Next Six Month.

I see they are having a go slow strike.

So does that mean they are giving up their addiction for "tea" and are going to stop shaking down legitimate local businesses and drivers? That should drop the crime rate significantly! They could actually try enforcing the child prostitution laws and raid some of the "Thais only" brothels and the clubs on Soi Cowboy and Nana where 14 year-olds are being routinely exploited and raped by "customers." Just a thought!

I wonder how much of the 200 million budget will go into someone's back pocket

HaHa! You mean their front pocket! Since when has the Thai police and government been shy about their corruption? Who's going to punish them? They're all dirty!

I wonder how much of the 200 million budget will go into someone's back pocket

This is the part where they will easily exceed the 20% target!

I'll drink to that. Never will happen.