I saw these two foreigners in uniforms stopping Thais and foreigners alike near Tukcom on Friday.

I have never seen foreigners in these uniforms before. Any idea what this category is and what they do? It was hard to tell them apart from the (one) real Thai policeman with them.

Thanks.

I was watching and listening to the guy yesterday as I was intrigued by this - what possesses a foreigner to run around play acting policeman in another country? This is what foreigners are doing for fun over here?

He sounded German and probably in his late 50's early 60's. He obviously takes his job very seriously as I was riding behind him a bit later on when I witnessed him beeping at another (foreigner) guy on a motorbike and having a talk to him about his (bad) riding. He was not with a Thai cop at this time.

There was a disturbing Paramilitary feel to them I thought. I've never seen foreigners dressed up like this before.

I overheard one talking in English and was sure he was a Russian-speaker by his accent.

I have always dreamed bout being a policeman, but I got over it at the age of 8.

Others never do.

I have always dreamed bout being a policeman, but I got over it at the age of 8.

Others never do.

Sit at the tourist police desks on soi 9 and walking street as it appears you don't know what they do.

They give directions, help settle some common disputes (ie: bills in bars), and most are long term expats who have an idea how things work. If you can't speak Thai (or even if you do), if given a choice between dealing with a Thai copper or the tourist police officer, I know who I would prefer.

All to say, people get wound up about them but I see the relief on people's faces when they're in distress and there's a foreigner there to help them.

I have always dreamed bout being a policeman, but I got over it at the age of 8.

Others never do.

Sit at the tourist police desks on soi 9 and walking street as it appears you don't know what they do.

They give directions, help settle some common disputes (ie: bills in bars), and most are long term expats who have an idea how things work. If you can't speak Thai (or even if you do), if given a choice between dealing with a Thai copper or the tourist police officer, I know who I would prefer.

All to say, people get wound up about them but I see the relief on people's faces when they're in distress and there's a foreigner there to help them.

The people you have in mind must be different from the ones that don't speak any Thai, are pulling foreigners aside on Sukhumvit and give them a ticket because they forgot their driving license at home, or the guy in the picture who is clearly carrying a book to write tickets.

They must also be different from the volunteers that voluntarily were in on the jetski scams, or the ones that have been caught drug dealing and abusing their power status.

There was a disturbing Paramilitary feel to them I thought. I've never seen foreigners dressed up like this before.

I overheard one talking in English and was sure he was a Russian-speaker by his accent.

I only saw the one in your photo, and I was sure he was speaking English with a German accent. Perhaps I was wrong.

I have always dreamed bout being a policeman, but I got over it at the age of 8.

Others never do.

Sit at the tourist police desks on soi 9 and walking street as it appears you don't know what they do.

They give directions, help settle some common disputes (ie: bills in bars), and most are long term expats who have an idea how things work. If you can't speak Thai (or even if you do), if given a choice between dealing with a Thai copper or the tourist police officer, I know who I would prefer.

All to say, people get wound up about them but I see the relief on people's faces when they're in distress and there's a foreigner there to help them.

The guys in the pics are NOT tourist police, no need for the standard defense, that's the whole point of the OP asking who they are and what they do .

I have always dreamed bout being a policeman, but I got over it at the age of 8.

Others never do.

Sit at the tourist police desks on soi 9 and walking street as it appears you don't know what they do.

They give directions, help settle some common disputes (ie: bills in bars), and most are long term expats who have an idea how things work. If you can't speak Thai (or even if you do), if given a choice between dealing with a Thai copper or the tourist police officer, I know who I would prefer.

All to say, people get wound up about them but I see the relief on people's faces when they're in distress and there's a foreigner there to help them.

Those foreign pseudo cops at the police station are useless. They certainly don't go out of their way to help foreigners.

Retire to a tropical paradise ,lots of ladies ,lots of free time because you do not need to work ------------and become a policeman ,takes all sorts ,

As far as I know there are two ways farangs are connected with the police here: as tourist police volunteers and as regular police assistants. Different uniforms and different functions. The ones in the photo above seem to be the second sort.

Personally I stay well away from both types, in the same way as I avoid vermin and syphilis.

There was a disturbing Paramilitary feel to them I thought. I've never seen foreigners dressed up like this before.

I overheard one talking in English and was sure he was a Russian-speaker by his accent.

I only saw the one in your photo, and I was sure he was speaking English with a German accent. Perhaps I was wrong.

Tropo, photos 1 and 2 were of one guy on the Tukcom side. Photo 3 is the guy on the other side of the road (or he was when I took that). It was him that I overheard talking.

Still no idea what these guys are doing dressed up like paramilitaries. Russian Special Forces doing traffic stops? - On second thoughts, it can't be them; they're all in the Ukraine...

My understanding is that there are a very few foreigners now recruited into the very separate Traffic Police division and I am certain the OP has run into one of them. No other police volunteer group wears a uniform like the Thai police themselves.

I believe those are city hall rangers, may be city hall now has foreign volunteers as well.

These blokes look like they enjoy dressing up games a little too much....

Retire to a tropical paradise ,lots of ladies ,lots of free time because you do not need to work ------------and become a policeman ,takes all sorts ,

Good bragging rights back at home too, being a Pattaya policeman. That would look great on any resume.

There was a disturbing Paramilitary feel to them I thought. I've never seen foreigners dressed up like this before.

I overheard one talking in English and was sure he was a Russian-speaker by his accent.

I only saw the one in your photo, and I was sure he was speaking English with a German accent. Perhaps I was wrong.

Tropo, photos 1 and 2 were of one guy on the Tukcom side. Photo 3 is the guy on the other side of the road (or he was when I took that). It was him that I overheard talking.

Still no idea what these guys are doing dressed up like paramilitaries. Russian Special Forces doing traffic stops? - On second thoughts, it can't be them; they're all in the Ukraine...

OK. The one I heard talking was the guy in photos 1 & 2... so we have it sorted then. One German and one Russian.

It's a very important job, pulling over motorcycles outside of Tukcom.

i join the force if i can write tickets and cash in

It takes a special kind of person to dress up in a police uniform in a foreign country, act like hot shit and not feel like a complete jerk.

Him strutting around in uniform has got nothing to do with him wanting to help his fellow man and everything to do with him being a Nazi wannabe.

i join the force if i can write tickets and cash in

And a big gun man, huge caliber, min a 45.

New monkey costume ?

It takes a special kind of person to dress up in a police uniform in a foreign country, act like hot shit and not feel like a complete jerk.

Him strutting around in uniform has got nothing to do with him wanting to help his fellow man and everything to do with him being a Nazi wannabe.

Just about everything that traffic police do here is pure revenue collection. I've never seen them do the hard work to catch the real dangers on the road, like red light jumpers or idiots who queue across intersections after red. They just go after easy targets - motorcycles. It's a disgraceful business hiding behind uniforms. Are these new foreign traffic nazis being paid a salary, or are they just volunteers?

So how is it with the actual juridical situation with this foreign police volunteers..... Can they fine you for traffic and other violations ??

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^{You have to hand it to the thais... don't like Thai BIB giving revenune generating traffic tickets... well for a more palatable experience we present the falang BIB...}

I would like to read about them trying to intervene in the jet ski scam ( in favor of the tourists that is)

As far as I know there are two ways farangs are connected with the police here: as tourist police volunteers and as regular police assistants. Different uniforms and different functions. The ones in the photo above seem to be the second sort.

Personally I stay well away from both types, in the same way as I avoid vermin and syphilis.

It's not always that easy. They flag you down for licence checks at check points, which can make staying away from both types a bit tricky.

They do have a few favourite locations though. Beach Road outside the police station and 2nd Road just south of Central. In the late afternoon early evening the police station is full of inconvenienced foreigners paying for transgressions.

Tukcom area should be avoided on market days - Tuesdays and Fridays.

I'm pretty sure they are affiliated with the Highway Police. I saw no guns.

So how is it with the actual juridical situation with this foreign police volunteers..... Can they fine you for traffic and other violations ??

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They probably can. Why not? I'd say the police department have the power to deputize anyone they want to. They have the guns, they can do pretty much anything they like.

I'm pretty sure they are affiliated with the Highway Police. I saw no guns.

I don't think so. The ones we saw at Tukcom are working with the traffic police from Soi 9 cop station.

I'm pretty sure they are affiliated with the Highway Police. I saw no guns.

I don't think so. The ones we saw at Tukcom are working with the traffic police from Soi 9 cop station.

Their helmets are nearly identical to traffic police except the red/white on top are reversed possibly to distinguish them as volunteers. Also the insignia on the sleeve of the circle with line through it also closely matches traffic police.