Phuket Town Citizens Setting Up Safety Zone

[webfact]

Phuket Town citizens setting up safety zone
Tanyaluk Sakoot



PHUKET: -- A new Phuket Town safety zone is to be set up soon, following the success of the safety zones that have been in operation in Patong since July last year and more recently in Chalong.

Maj Gen Choti Chavalviwat (centre) presides over the extablishment of the Soi Ta Ied safety zone which, he says, has reduced crime and turned angry citizens into more caring people.

Sivarin Phaothong-Ngarm of Markinny Mate restaurant, who is handling PR for new Safety Zone, told The Phuket News today (April 19), “The idea of a Phuket Town safety zone came from the community, from local people..

“We had seen in the news cases that happened in other provinces involving robbers, both Thai and foreign, and we decided we did not want criminals here or dangerous things happening.

“Yesterday we held a meeting to select a committee. That list will be sent for approval by provincial officials. Once we get that we can start planning which volunteers will be responsible for which areas.”

Maj Gen Choti Chavalviwat, Commander of Phuket Provincial Police, told The Phuket News, “The Phuket Town safety zone is a great idea.

“The fact is that we have enough police officers to take care of the 300,000 people [registered as living in Phuket] but not for all the people actually living here.”

No one is sure just how many people live in Phuket but an often-heard estimate is one million, excluding tourists.

“The police can’t take care of everyone every minute, so it is a very good idea to have people taking care of each other. The community is very important because they will see more than the police and then they can share information with my officers.”

He observed that the safety zone set up in Soi Ta Ied in Chalong two months ago had not only reduced crime. It had also turned “angry citizens into calmer, more caring people”, improving the atmosphere in the community.

Since then, to more safety zones have been set up in that area, one in Kokmakham and the other at Yanui.

Like Gen Choti, Chalong Superintendent Pol Col Kitipas Dejintrasorn is a big believer in safety zones.

He said, “I am by no means against having local people working as part of the security system and working together.

“To be honest, policemen alone cannot take care of everyone. If I said that they could, I would not be telling the truth.

“Today, I was in the Chalong area talking to people and asking for their cooperation to build stronger links in the community. That way they can take care of other and pass on information to me or other policemen.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-town-citizens-setting-up-safety-zone-38796.php


-- Phuket News 2013-04-20

[cup-O-coffee]

Wouldn't this be construed as plagiarizing a human conscience, along with self-control and self-restraint - Thai style?

Edited April 21, 2013 by cup-O-coffee

[eezergood]

They have claimed the other safety zones a success, on what grounds exactly?