Police want independence

[ultimate weapon]

I truly wonder how long before it actually happens. I give it well............................................................

a long long time.

[pkspeaker]

When asking how bad the police in this country are you will generally get a grouse overstatement. This thread attests to that.

I think they're actually not that bad. My impression after living here for a long time; Few foreigners that are not involved with illegal activity have had a bad experience with the police AND few Thai's that are not involved in illegal activity have had a bad experience with the police. If your a foreigner you also have the tourist police to appeal to.

The corruption in the police is where people that are doing illegal things bribe their way out of it. People that are involved in certain types of illegal activities such as hard drugs, counterfeit(monies, passports,etc), rape, etc. will not be able to get out of prison easily. People who murder or manslaughter a thai will be able to get out of prison if the victims family forgives (which usually happens after some..). If the victim is a foreigner then it is not easy to get out of prison, especially if the victims family complains to the police via their embassy.

Most of the corruption takes place in these other crime areas such as white-collar crime and Gov.to G and G. to big biz corruption and collusion with the police. One reason for this corruption is public officials here have power but their salaries are not robust, making the risk of getting caught taking bribes more attractive. Another issue is the lack of white collar prisons. All prisons in Thailand are the same, the conditions are poor, they are filled with people who lived in abject poverty prior to being imprisoned. The authorities in a developing country have to consider that if money is spent to improve the conditions, then the institution may loose it's deterrence, making it even more expensive. This reality makes police and prosecutors more likely to consider other forms of punishment to many wrongdoers such as forcing them out of the country like Thaksin was.

So 'ending police corruption' in Thailand would have a big price tag so it has to be phased down-overtime-attacking the worse area's first. Attacking it too harshly and hastily will not be possible unless the government spends more money out of it's limited budget to address the above issues, politicians are unlikely to agree to that because they want robust spending on infrastructure and economic development, not spending on nicer and bigger prisons and better quality prosecutors and cops. Ask the average Thai would you rather have better roads, education and infrastructure, or more prisons..?

[hobz]

My only personal experience with them is getting stopped when driving my motorbike without a drivers license, yes, i'm a criminal.

Both times i was asked to pay a "fine" *bribe* on the spot.. No receipt... I know for a fact that if I would have gotten a real fine I would have to go to the police station to pay it as has happened with other people in my town. SO yeah, my picture of the police is that they are corrupt. For a police officer to take money into his own pocket is completely unacceptable in my home country. So in my standards the police here are totally unacceptable.

Oh, and don't shoot the messenger. Me driving without a license is a separate story and doesn't excuse the police _asking for_ bribes.

When asking how bad the police in this country are you will generally get a grouse overstatement. This thread attests to that.

I think they're actually not that bad. My impression after living here for a long time; Few foreigners that are not involved with illegal activity have had a bad experience with the police AND few Thai's that are not involved in illegal activity have had a bad experience with the police. If your a foreigner you also have the tourist police to appeal to.

The corruption in the police is where people that are doing illegal things bribe their way out of it. People that are involved in certain types of illegal activities such as hard drugs, counterfeit(monies, passports,etc), rape, etc. will not be able to get out of prison easily. People who murder or manslaughter a thai will be able to get out of prison if the victims family forgives (which usually happens after some..). If the victim is a foreigner then it is not easy to get out of prison, especially if the victims family complains to the police via their embassy.

Most of the corruption takes place in these other crime areas such as white-collar crime and Gov.to G and G. to big biz corruption and collusion with the police. One reason for this corruption is public officials here have power but their salaries are not robust, making the risk of getting caught taking bribes more attractive. Another issue is the lack of white collar prisons. All prisons in Thailand are the same, the conditions are poor, they are filled with people who lived in abject poverty prior to being imprisoned. The authorities in a developing country have to consider that if money is spent to improve the conditions, then the institution may loose it's deterrence, making it even more expensive. This reality makes police and prosecutors more likely to consider other forms of punishment to many wrongdoers such as forcing them out of the country like Thaksin was.

So 'ending police corruption' in Thailand would have a big price tag so it has to be phased down-overtime-attacking the worse area's first. Attacking it too harshly and hastily will not be possible unless the government spends more money out of it's limited budget to address the above issues, politicians are unlikely to agree to that because they want robust spending on infrastructure and economic development, not spending on nicer and bigger prisons and better quality prosecutors and cops. Ask the average Thai would you rather have better roads, education and infrastructure, or more prisons..?