Crackdown: Phuket Police ordered to carry out weekend blitz on crime

[webfact]

Police ordered to carry out weekend blitz on crime
Phuket Gazette


Gen Wuthi Liptapallop, a national-level adviser to the Royal Thai Police, has ordered a weekend blitz on all forms of crime in Phuket. Photo: Saran Mitrarat

PHUKET: -- One of Thailand’s top-ranking police officers has ordered Phuket law-enforcement authorities to ramp up their crackdown on all forms of crime over the weekend as part of a blitz to improve tourists’ confidence in safety.

Gen Wuthi Liptapallop, a national-level adviser to the Royal Thai Police, was in Phuket yesterday to review progress made in the island-wide crackdown launched on August 16. The effort is scheduled to conclude on Monday (story here).

“I have ordered all officers to be more strict in enforcing the law. Police in each area must pay particular attention to all cases involving tourists, especially violent crimes.

“Tourist Police have been ordered to crack down on zero-baht tours and Immigration officers are to crack down on foreigners overstaying their visas,” Gen Wuthi told the press gathered at Phuket Provincial Police headquarters in Phuket Town.

Presented at the media conference were suspects arrested and items seized during the campaign, including several Myanmar nationals, illegal firearms, pirated goods and a slow loris.

So far during the campaign, Phuket Police have arrested 2,142 suspects, said Gen Wuthi.

Topping the arrest count were illegal taxi drivers, with 742 drivers arrested.

Other arrests during the period included: 411 for drugs; 293 for prostitution; 276 for overstay; 177 for illegally entering the country; 123 for dealing in pirated goods; 48 for working without a work permit; 45 for possession of an illegal firearm; and 27 for working as an illegal guide.

“If the level of crime continues on the island after the crackdown concludes on Monday, I will order another campaign to be carried out immediately,” Gen Wuthi said.

“We will improve the image of Phuket and make tourists more confident in their safety during their stay here, which will help boost tourism and generate more income for Thailand,” he added.

Present to hear Gen Wuthi’s comments were Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut and Gen Pichit Kuandachakupt of the Senate Standing Committee on Tourism.

“I really appreciate the police stepping up their efforts to crack down on all illegal activities, including drug dealers, mafia taxi operators, people with illegal firearms, and everything else that might be dangerous,” Gen Pichit told the press.

“This crackdown is making progress, so please keep working to eliminate all illegal activities in Phuket, and elsewhere in Thailand, to improve our safety,” he said.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/Police-ordered-to-carry-out-weekend-blitz-on-crime-22357.html


-- Phuket Gazette 2013-09-27

UPDATE:

Phuket forty-day anti-crime drive 'a big success'

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/670816-crackdown-phuket-police-ordered-to-carry-out-weekend-blitz-on-crime/page-3?p=6868733#entry6868733

[laurentbkk]

its so much nicer to inform that you will do something in advance so the people can hide ....

[gl555]

Thanks for the advance warning, I'm sure many will be on their best behavior this weekend!

[CiaranO]

So after 31st - everything back to normal - excellent

Are the DSI leaving or have they gone already?

[casindonet]

Ok....so it will be a 5 days a week job for all criminals in phuket. Saturday & Sunday will be designated as days to spend the earnings during the weekdays robbing...scamming...cheating...the tourists.

Sent from my GT-I9200 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[BangkokGastronaut]

Only this weekend? And just before pay day - the BIB must be really desperate this month.

[LivinginKata]

This so called 'crackdown' will only target the small fry, folks with no influence, and all for publicity show. All the king pins will be left alone. Money talks here in on Paradise Island. And everything back to normal next month until the next publicity display.

[steelepulse]

So were all these illegal taxi drivers really arrested and taken to jail, or were they fined and let go? A fine really doesn't mean arrested where I come from, it's just an infraction.

[eddie61]

How wonderfully comical these litlle people are...the BIB should start a reality TV show, they would make millions. They are sweet though, always amusing, always predictable, always completely hopeless.

If they were not so expensive to maintain, I would keep one as a pet!

[Suradit69]

In my innocence I had to look up "zero-baht tours."

Zero baht tours involve companies providing everything for tourists - flights, accommodation, tours, meals - and picking up a single payment in their home destination, so Thais and Thailand make ''zero baht'' from the visit by the tourists to Thailand.

I can understand that people pay for the tours in Rubles or Yuan back in their home country and that covers all their meals, accommodation, etc., but aren't locals who provide food, rooms and transport still being paid?

Is it a form of money laundering with no foreign exchange coming to Thailand and the cash used for these things coming from drug money or something??

[Frederickxx]

I used to be a policeman in England (many years ago) and I thought a policeman's duties were to catch criminals, when they were thieving etc. at all times not merely on a specific week-end as a publicity stunt.

[GeorgeO]

This so called 'crackdown' will only target the small fry, folks with no influence, and all for publicity show. All the king pins will be left alone. Money talks here in on Paradise Island. And everything back to normal next month until the next publicity display.

For me, it beggars belief that you actually need to have a 'crackdown' on law enforcement...!

This would seem to be an admission of something that we already know, during all other 'normal' periods, law enforcement in Phuket is non-existent...?!

[Jim walker]

And they will be starting crime crackdown at the Police station first port of call.

[micksterbs]

I used to be a policeman in England (many years ago) and I thought a policeman's duties were to catch criminals, when they were thieving etc. at all times not merely on a specific week-end as a publicity stunt.

Quite...

[Emdog]

These "crackdowns" always "crack me up".

[Kilgore Trout]

I used to be a policeman in England (many years ago) and I thought a policeman's duties were to catch criminals, when they were thieving etc. at all times not merely on a specific week-end as a publicity stunt.

Well, you are not in Kansas shire anymore are you Dorothy? Welcome to Thailand

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[finnomick]

What ? It's ONLY going to take a weekend ' blitz ' to sort out all crime in Phuket......don't make me laugh

[drdoom6996]

And what is it the Police DO when they are not ordered to DO their JOB???????????????????????

[LivinginKata]

And what is it the Police DO when they are not ordered to DO their JOB???????????????????????

Traffic checks - need to make their fines bonus

[drdoom6996]

This so called 'crackdown' will only target the small fry, folks with no influence, and all for publicity show. All the king pins will be left alone. Money talks here in on Paradise Island. And everything back to normal next month until the next publicity display.

For me, it beggars belief that you actually need to have a 'crackdown' on law enforcement...!

This would seem to be an admission of something that we already know, during all other 'normal' periods, law enforcement in Phuket is non-existent...?!

I do not live in Phuket. And Law Enforcement is nonexistent here to.

[sandhurstmolonski]

It May just take a little longer than a Weekend ..

And the Prior Warning ..Lot to cover in a weekend .

[IAMSOBAD]

So...will the police arrest other police to finally stop criminal activity at the source?

[lee b]

293 for prostitution, well they didn't raid that many bars or clubs then. haha

[SOTIRIOS]

......amidst all of these stories of corruption..............

.....this will increase tourist confidence.......

....last week there was a 'blitz' where known criminals were fined 100 baht....

...the next day it was criminal business as usual......

....it boggles the mind......

[Songhua]

293 for prostitution, well they didn't raid that many bars or clubs then. haha

... got halfway through the third one and realised it was lunchtime.

[upena]

But, Rihanna already departed

[bigbamboo]

How wonderfully comical these litlle people are...the BIB should start a reality TV show, they would make millions. They are sweet though, always amusing, always predictable, always completely hopeless.

If they were not so expensive to maintain, I would keep one as a pet!

There's the rub. Only politicians, criminals and the very rich can afford them.

[rollrunna]

Presented at the media conference were suspects arrested and items seized during the campaign, including several Myanmar nationals, illegal firearms, pirated goods ..and A SLOW LORIS

Presumably the Loris was arrested for aiding and abetting...albeit slowly.?...or maybe as a new mascot to sit on arresting officers shoulder during photo-shoot and finger pointing

[Mudcrab]

Damned if they do damned if they don't

[madmitch]

So were all these illegal taxi drivers really arrested and taken to jail, or were they fined and let go? A fine really doesn't mean arrested where I come from, it's just an infraction.

Not real arrests, Steelepulse. Just fines. The guy we use was fined once and became a statistic.