Role of Tourist Police

[cuhullan1]

If it is about making money for the upkeep of the station put the checkpoint on Viset road.But as i said , there would be a checkpoint all the way to Bangkok.It seems every time there is a thread on here it is carte blanche to tear the thread or the op apart with partial or impartial advice.I probably know now why i just ever skim over the posts. Oh by the way the original question was "Role of tourist police" ,,,,,,,,,, Now where is the unfollow post button !!

[ATF]

There are NO farang "tourist police."

There ARE farangs who serve as police volunteers and assistants in various places and ways.

But Tourist Police is an official arm of the Royal Thai Police force, and they don't hire farangs as officers, only Thais.

Wrong http://www.ftpapattaya.org/ they are dressed in black and some are dressed in Police uniforms who work with the Police.

[cuhullan1]

Thanks for the replies gents,i will leave it at that

[Jimi007]

If it is about making money for the upkeep of the station put the checkpoint on Viset road.But as i said , there would be a checkpoint all the way to Bangkok.It seems every time there is a thread on here it is carte blanche to tear the thread or the op apart with partial or impartial advice.I probably know now why i just ever skim over the posts. Oh by the way the original question was "Role of tourist police" ,,,,,,,,,, Now where is the unfollow post button !!

I think your question was answered. He is NOT with the Thai Tourist police. Why get angry? There is a difference the Thai Tourist Police and a foreign volunteer to any of the different police "services" around here. There are foreign volunteers at Immigration, with the Royal Thai Police, the Highway Police and the Tourist Police. They all have different jobs. Role of the Tourist Police is to help tourists that have been wronged by Thais, in general. I know they helped a friend whose wife had ripped him off.

[cuhullan1]

Thanks for the clarification.I just found the "must pay here part" hard to stomach. Also no reciept for the actual offence.The farang in uniform in question has no manners or mediation skills. I am totally legal with my license, cars,motorbikes and insurance when i use the roads in Siam.I am not, or rarely do get angry as it clouds the judgement. If someone who finds they want to play policeman ,fine by me .My Thai girlfriend and everyone i know in the area regard it as tea money exercise whether true or not.When i was personally stopped the farang in question checked my license,insurance ,green book proof and even went as far as checking the tires and lights on a custom bike worth about 15000.00 US.Replys to the post can sumize or make their own assumptions.With the recent events in Thailand ,one would think that this starts to become more of a rarity.Thanks gents and keep the Singhas cold

[falkan]

Tourist Police or not. If you don't wear a m/c helmet you're a clown. Incorrect license = no insurance cover = death.

Because the hospital will probably refuse to treat you. A minor bike accident will cost around 100k baht in medical fees alone.

LOL if you go to Bangkok Hospital maybe, If you lose legs and arms maybe 50k at Mission Hospital but some minor stuff lol so cheap so cheap..

[ATF]

Tourist Police or not. If you don't wear a m/c helmet you're a clown. Incorrect license = no insurance cover = death.

Because the hospital will probably refuse to treat you. A minor bike accident will cost around 100k baht in medical fees alone.

LOL if you go to Bangkok Hospital maybe, If you lose legs and arms maybe 50k at Mission Hospital but some minor stuff lol so cheap so cheap..

Well if you really want to save money maybe you should consider a vet?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

There are NO farang "tourist police."

There ARE farangs who serve as police volunteers and assistants in various places and ways.

But Tourist Police is an official arm of the Royal Thai Police force, and they don't hire farangs as officers, only Thais.

Wrong http://www.ftpapattaya.org/ they are dressed in black and some are dressed in Police uniforms who work with the Police.

No...what I said above is correct... These farangs are not official Tourist Police...

As their website says, they are Tourist Police ASSISTANTS... who serve in a volunteer or some other unofficial capacity. They are not official Tourist Police, nor do they have legal police powers.

The fact that particular group may dress in black means nothing, perhaps other than a comment on the psychology of those who volunteer in that role.

And if you read the Join Us section of the website you linked above, you will see where they say:

Please understand that we work voluntarily – there is no payment or financial benefit. We each pay for our own uniforms and equipment.

They are volunteers who assist the actual Thai police. They are NOT legal police officers.

Edited September 8, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[ATF]

^^^^^

I never said they got paid but they do work in an official capacity.

[NomadJoe]

The post by Steven L.I have stated the facts .My Thai girlfriend had no helmet = fine.Farang tourist policeman in brown uniform.Long line of farangs getting fined for no license,helmet etc.Out of the way spot and not on the main strip.Not allowed to pay at police station,must pay on spot.Read the post and not the threads.Original question was what role has the tourist policeman in question got? Sorry that is about as clear as i can make it !!

Some Falung Tourist Police wear real Police uniforms if he hasn't got a gun he's Tourist Police. No Falung Tourist Police are allowed to carry a gun and they cannot fine you on the spot, but they can detain you until a real cop arrives.

Also police volunteers are not allowed to carry a gun.

There are many, many Thai police volunteers who carry guns.

[NomadJoe]

...But Tourist Police is an official arm of the Royal Thai Police force, and they don't hire farangs as officers, only Thais.

FYI, the tourist police are no longer under the Interior Ministry like the Royal Thai Police, they are under the Sports and Tourism Ministry. This is why, for example, their cars have normal passenger plates and not brown police plates.

[NomadJoe]

Oh, and the guy is NOT tourist police.

So what is he? He's damned rude that's for sure.

He is a "police assistant" working directly out of and for the Chalong police station. Not TPV, not Region 8 volunteer.

Edited September 8, 2014 by NomadJoe

[NomadJoe]

I can't see how a volunteer copper can have any legal power to fine or take money. ...

He doesn't but the Thai police standing all around him do, and the OP never said the farang was the one that took the money. They always have a table set up there for payments few steps away from where you are stopped.

[NomadJoe]

The Tourist Police [foreign volunteers] are mainly used as translators and sort out minor problems with tourists but they have no powers of arrest ...

...Maybe someone can expand on the powers that are vested in the tourist police...

Firstly, the Tourist police, if you are talking about the Thai tourist police officers, have the same powers of arrest as the Royal Thai police, so I assume your question is about the foreign volunteers.

Any police volunteer, Thai or foreign, when working under the direct supervision of a sworn Royal Thai police officer has the ability to detain and arrest as if he were a Royal Thai Police officer. In fact this has nothing to do with volunteers, any person when requested by a police officer in Thailand to assist that officer is not only empowered, they are obligated by law to assist that officer.

Secondly, any person, whether Thai or foreign, has the right to make a "citizens arrest" of someone they witness committing a crime, other than traffic infractions.

Keep in mind this isn't really in the foreign volunteers mandate and it is a very rare occasion when a foreign volunteer is put in a position to make an arrest under either of the above situations, but it does happen.

[Mosha]

Well immigration told me they need a volunteers stamp in the pp. If they haven't got that they are in visa violation.

[steelepulse]

The part about why not on Viset road, could be because many local use this road to ferry kids to and from school and would cause an uproar if they were all stopped. They choose that 3-way spot as they know all locals know about it and will go around it, yet the tourists keep buzzing by and dropping off their donations to the local bibs.

[NamKangMan]

Thanks for the clarification.I just found the "must pay here part" hard to stomach. Also no reciept for the actual offence.The farang in uniform in question has no manners or mediation skills. I am totally legal with my license, cars,motorbikes and insurance when i use the roads in Siam.I am not, or rarely do get angry as it clouds the judgement. If someone who finds they want to play policeman ,fine by me .My Thai girlfriend and everyone i know in the area regard it as tea money exercise whether true or not.When i was personally stopped the farang in question checked my license,insurance ,green book proof and even went as far as checking the tires and lights on a custom bike worth about 15000.00 US.Replys to the post can sumize or make their own assumptions.With the recent events in Thailand ,one would think that this starts to become more of a rarity.Thanks gents and keep the Singhas cold

"When i was personally stopped the farang in question checked my license,insurance ,green book proof" - just a quick question to members, by law, do you have to carry the book? I never have, it stays at home.

I've only been stopped a couple of times, and it was just for a licence check. I was never asked for the book.

[NomadJoe]

Well immigration told me they need a volunteers stamp in the pp. If they haven't got that they are in visa violation.

Exactly who at immigration told you that? Absolute rubbish. There is no such thing as a "volunteer stamp."

In the other thread on this topic I posted the exemption to the alien workers act for foreigners carrying out work for the government. Foreign police volunteers do not need a wp.

[LivinginKata]

"When i was personally stopped the farang in question checked my license,insurance ,green book proof" - just a quick question to members, by law, do you have to carry the book? I never have, it stays at home.

I've only been stopped a couple of times, and it was just for a licence check. I was never asked for the book.

Good question. As far as I know the green book must be shown on demand. I have a copy of the relevant pages in the car, plus copies of insurance docs, and passport copies. But I do take the green book when travelling up north.

[NamKangMan]

"When i was personally stopped the farang in question checked my license,insurance ,green book proof" - just a quick question to members, by law, do you have to carry the book? I never have, it stays at home.

I've only been stopped a couple of times, and it was just for a licence check. I was never asked for the book.

Good question. As far as I know the green book must be shown on demand. I have a copy of the relevant pages in the car, plus copies of insurance docs, and passport copies. But I do take the green book when travelling up north.

I carry passport, visa and TM Card copies. I was under the belief that if the bike was stolen, along with the book, you would have some problems proving you ever owned the bike.

When I have hired bikes, you never got the book.

Does a ticket/fine exist for "Not produce book" or similar?

I like to be completely legal here, so I'll definately make some copies and start carrying them, but would be happy to hear from any member who can can confirm if the original, like the licence, must be produced upon demand.

[NomadJoe]

"When i was personally stopped the farang in question checked my license,insurance ,green book proof" - just a quick question to members, by law, do you have to carry the book? I never have, it stays at home.

I've only been stopped a couple of times, and it was just for a licence check. I was never asked for the book.

Good question. As far as I know the green book must be shown on demand. I have a copy of the relevant pages in the car, plus copies of insurance docs, and passport copies. But I do take the green book when travelling up north.

I carry passport, visa and TM Card copies. I was under the belief that if the bike was stolen, along with the book, you would have some problems proving you ever owned the bike.

When I have hired bikes, you never got the book.

Does a ticket/fine exist for "Not produce book" or similar?

I like to be completely legal here, so I'll definately make some copies and start carrying them, but would be happy to hear from any member who can can confirm if the original, like the licence, must be produced upon demand.

By law you do not need to carry the green/blue book, you must carry a copy of it.

Motor Vehicle Act B.E. 2522.[/size]

Title 3: Driver's License[/size]

Section 42[/size]

Anyone who wishes to drive a motor vehicle on public roads must possess an appropriate driver's license. The driver must carry the driver's license and a photocopy of the registration book and show them to competent officers upon request.[/size]

Edited September 9, 2014 by NomadJoe

[NamKangMan]

Thanks for the clarification.I just found the "must pay here part" hard to stomach. Also no reciept for the actual offence.The farang in uniform in question has no manners or mediation skills. I am totally legal with my license, cars,motorbikes and insurance when i use the roads in Siam.I am not, or rarely do get angry as it clouds the judgement. If someone who finds they want to play policeman ,fine by me .My Thai girlfriend and everyone i know in the area regard it as tea money exercise whether true or not.When i was personally stopped the farang in question checked my license,insurance ,green book proof and even went as far as checking the tires and lights on a custom bike worth about 15000.00 US.Replys to the post can sumize or make their own assumptions.With the recent events in Thailand ,one would think that this starts to become more of a rarity.Thanks gents and keep the Singhas cold

"When i was personally stopped the farang in question checked my license,insurance ,green book proof" - just a quick question to members, by law, do you have to carry the book? I never have, it stays at home.

I've only been stopped a couple of times, and it was just for a licence check. I was never asked for the book.

By law you must carry a copy of the green/blue book.

Motor Vehicle Act B.E. 2522.

Title 3: Driver's License

Section 42

Anyone who wishes to drive a motor vehicle on public roads must possess an appropriate driver's license. The driver must carry the driver's license and a photocopy of the registration book and show them to competent officers upon request.

Thanks NJ. i have no problem carrying a photocopy, but, like my passport, have never been happy to carry the original around.

Always learning here.

Will copy tomorrow and put in the sealed plastic bag along with the other copies.

[stevenl]

Also police volunteers are not allowed to carry a gun.

There are many, many Thai police volunteers who carry guns.

Thanks for the correction. I was referring to foreigners though, are foreign police volunteers are allowed to carry guns?

As you mention, Thai police volunteers quite often do, but are they allowed to?

[NomadJoe]

Also police volunteers are not allowed to carry a gun.

There are many, many Thai police volunteers who carry guns.

Thanks for the correction. I was referring to foreigners though, are foreign police volunteers are allowed to carry guns?

As you mention, Thai police volunteers quite often do, but are they allowed to?

I thought so, (about your comment referring to foreigners) but wasn't sure.

Foreign volunteers do not.

I assume the Thai volunteers are allowed once completing the training but I don't really know. They work right alongside regular police, even senior police so I assume.

Many Thai volunteers, and even some regular cops actually carry replica compressed air guns because they are cheaper. They are often modified to a higher pressure and so can still severely hurt you, even possibly kill you at close range. I certainly wouldn't want to be shot by one.

[Mosha]

Well immigration told me they need a volunteers stamp in the pp. If they haven't got that they are in visa violation.

Exactly who at immigration told you that? Absolute rubbish. There is no such thing as a "volunteer stamp."

In the other thread on this topic I posted the exemption to the alien workers act for foreigners carrying out work for the government. Foreign police volunteers do not need a wp.

One of the officers doing my 90 day report. I'd had TP here pestering. I wasn't interested, and looking at the requirements I am not qualified. I wonder how many of them are?