Bangkok traffic cop arrests motorist for 'bribe attempt'

[hanuman2543]

It could be, but the problem is that if it's successful, the bib will lose his daily extra money!

What will happen then? They will need their daily extra money back somehow I guess.

And for all the people here that think this is a good step:

Would you like losing a half day or a day just to pay a fine of 300 baht to pay at some far away police station to get your license back?

With this anti bribe action they should also improve the way to pay your fine on the spot. Only then it can be successful.

Why would anyone "lose a half day or a day" to pay a fine and what's with the "far away police station"? Police stations are open 24 hours a day and the fine would be paid and licence retrieved from the local police station in the area the ticket was issued.

Paying fines on the spot to the police officer is exactly what the authorities are trying to stop!

Are you so naive or do you want to provoke?

[Sviss Geez]

Obviously every traffic officer is going to want to "participate" in this sweepstakes giveaway, so what happens when motorists stop handing over their tea money. It doesn't take a genius to figure out how to get on the winners list, no actual bribe attempt really required...

And how many of these "rewards" will be paid out before whatever's funding it @ B10K a pop runs dry? Then what happens?

The whole thing is so bizarre. A great setup opportunity and worrisome incentive for cops. But NO rewards in it for motorists, honest or otherwise. As if it's the motorists that were the problem!

"And how many of these "rewards" will be paid out before whatever's funding it @ B10K a pop runs dry? Then what happens?"

Presumably the fine for being found guilty of attempting to bribe a police officer will exceed the bonus, and the amount fined will be split between the court and the police station so keeping the pot topped-up.

[natway09]

What % are the police getting of the official ticket? Someone told me 40% is their commission anyway

[Songlaw]

So when the campaign of offering 10K ends, it's same ole same ole. Betcha.

Except people may actually be scared to offer a bribe.

In most cases, bribes/gratuities are more-or-less requested at the "site of service." Shouldn't be too difficult for a return to business as usual once the potential for abuse is recognized and the vast budget required to sustain this sort of "program" is seriously looked at. I'm thinking it might last till the middle of next week maybe? Should allow at least a few officers to get current with their Boxer payments. Though it would seemingly be more cost effective to just pay these guys. Most of them are pretty cool about most situations. Unbelievable.

[Sviss Geez]

This could be a big buisiness : i give the policeman a bribe of say 50 baht, i am arrested ok ! The policeman get the reward of 10k baht, then we share minus the fine for attempt to corruption.

You seem to be forgetting the bit about your being prosecuted for attempting to bribe the officer.

[smileydude]

I think these kinds of incentives/rewards are counter-productive but great for police PR.

If you really want to get to the core of the problem trying teaching and ingraining the word Integrity into the minds and core values of the police force.

Nip em in the bud when you recruit them.

If you respect and have pride in the uniform your wearing and what it means to "protect and serve" then maybe we've got a chance at seeing something longer lasting then trying to bribe officers not to accept bribes.

Wishful thinking is an understatement of that ever happening looking at the gimmicks they keep coming up with.

Edited October 10, 2014 by smileydude

[Songlaw]

Obviously every traffic officer is going to want to "participate" in this sweepstakes giveaway, so what happens when motorists stop handing over their tea money. It doesn't take a genius to figure out how to get on the winners list, no actual bribe attempt really required...

And how many of these "rewards" will be paid out before whatever's funding it @ B10K a pop runs dry? Then what happens?

The whole thing is so bizarre. A great setup opportunity and worrisome incentive for cops. But NO rewards in it for motorists, honest or otherwise. As if it's the motorists that were the problem!

"And how many of these "rewards" will be paid out before whatever's funding it @ B10K a pop runs dry? Then what happens?"

Presumably the fine for being found guilty of attempting to bribe a police officer will exceed the bonus, and the amount fined will be split between the court and the police station so keeping the pot topped-up.

The likelihood of the 50 baht guy and his ilk being able to expeditiously cough up amounts in excess of 10,000 THB are not good. Which means now you are going to have to house and feed them at County, or perhaps the Hilton until they're able to do so. Multiply by thousands, if not tens of thousands, over the course of a year. I see a supply-side problem here. Installment plans are not going to mitigate this to a significant degree. Not in this economy. As was obvious to most of us, this was a bad idea before its conception. And it's only getting worse. The Exalted One had better nip this one in the bud and quickly.

[Sviss Geez]

if the reward is 10000 baht, the penalty for being arrested is going to have to pay for that - get ready for some big fines for motorists

"- get ready for some big fines for motorists"

...who attempt to bribe officers. Those who don't will pay the normal fines.

[Paul888]

So does this mean that the fine for attempting to bribe a police officer is now over 10,000?

[Sviss Geez]

The level of hypocrisy is unbelievable.

Can you explain where the hypocrisy lies in this report? An officer arrests someone for offering a bribe, that's hypocritical?

That would be proper police work and what can be expected from a proper police force, but sadly not here. The hypocrisy lies in that now rewards are offered to those, who normally asked for a bribe in the first place, to arrest those who give in to their illegal demands for a long time already. Not to mention the potential for extortion that comes with this measure. Fox, hen house, guarding etc springs to my mind.

I think that's irony, not hypocrisy.

[ttthailand]

Hahaha.... This is crazy but might just work....

It has been common knowledge that police ask for money to look the other way. This is just the way it has been for as long as there has been police in Thailand. It is common knowledge and almost a reflex action to pull out a few hundred baht so you can be on your way. Now over night to make a change and reward the very people who was the problem is something that could only happen in Thailand. I am always amazed here " Amazing Thailand "

Hahaha... I can't stop laughing hahahaha.....

[Sviss Geez]

Yeah, that's nice,but in many cases (like on Vibhavadi rd) the cop takes your license to send it to some main police distribution point, which is not the police post where they 'catch' you. You then first need to wait until your license arrives there to be able to go there and pay to get your license back. YES, that resulted in half a day loss! And this is in a for me known area! Can you imagine if the cop takes your license if you are in some area just passing through?

If they just give you a ticket to pay and let you keep your license it's ok and you can pay at any post office.

Let's be honest here:

all of us don't give a ... about the actual fine, which is mostly very small. It's all about convenience.

"Can you imagine if the cop takes your license if you are in some area just passing through?"

In that case you ask the officer to send the licence to a police station of your choice, which they will do, and the fine is paid there.

Edited October 10, 2014 by Sviss Geez

[Mosha]

This could be a big buisiness : i give the policeman a bribe of say 50 baht, i am arrested ok ! The policeman get the reward of 10k baht, then we share minus the fine for attempt to corruption.

You seem to be forgetting the bit about your being prosecuted for attempting to bribe the officer.

Who do you think encouraged the practice in the 1st place?

[Sviss Geez]

It could be, but the problem is that if it's successful, the bib will lose his daily extra money!

What will happen then? They will need their daily extra money back somehow I guess.

And for all the people here that think this is a good step:

Would you like losing a half day or a day just to pay a fine of 300 baht to pay at some far away police station to get your license back?

With this anti bribe action they should also improve the way to pay your fine on the spot. Only then it can be successful.

Why would anyone "lose a half day or a day" to pay a fine and what's with the "far away police station"? Police stations are open 24 hours a day and the fine would be paid and licence retrieved from the local police station in the area the ticket was issued.

Paying fines on the spot to the police officer is exactly what the authorities are trying to stop!

Are you so naive or do you want to provoke?

What was so naive or provocative about my comment? What I said was fact.

[Songlaw]

Obviously every traffic officer is going to want to "participate" in this sweepstakes giveaway, so what happens when motorists stop handing over their tea money. It doesn't take a genius to figure out how to get on the winners list, no actual bribe attempt really required...

And how many of these "rewards" will be paid out before whatever's funding it @ B10K a pop runs dry? Then what happens?

The whole thing is so bizarre. A great setup opportunity and worrisome incentive for cops. But NO rewards in it for motorists, honest or otherwise. As if it's the motorists that were the problem!

"As if it's the motorists that were the problem!"

If they are committing an offence then the motorist is the problem.

In far too many cases, that can be a pretty big "if" as it relies entirely on the officer's "perception." Damn, there goes my "69" posts. I really intended to have it hold there for a while.

[Sviss Geez]

This could be a big buisiness : i give the policeman a bribe of say 50 baht, i am arrested ok ! The policeman get the reward of 10k baht, then we share minus the fine for attempt to corruption.

You seem to be forgetting the bit about your being prosecuted for attempting to bribe the officer.

Who do you think encouraged the practice in the 1st place?

Who knows? That's a bit of a chicken and egg question, certainly you or I don't know who started it, it could have been Thailand's first bent officer or the first corrupt motorist.

Whatever it was doesn't alter the fact that there will have to be some prosecutions of motorist who attempt to bribe officers.

Edited October 10, 2014 by Sviss Geez

[Cheops]

Yeah, that's nice,but in many cases (like on Vibhavadi rd) the cop takes your license to send it to some main police distribution point, which is not the police post where they 'catch' you. You then first need to wait until your license arrives there to be able to go there and pay to get your license back. YES, that resulted in half a day loss! And this is in a for me known area! Can you imagine if the cop takes your license if you are in some area just passing through?

If they just give you a ticket to pay and let you keep your license it's ok and you can pay at any post office.

Let's be honest here:

all of us don't give a ... about the actual fine, which is mostly very small. It's all about convenience.

"Can you imagine if the cop takes your license if you are in some area just passing through?"

In that case you ask the officer to send the licence to a police station of your choice, which they will do, and the fine is paid there.

Yeah, of course I know all the names of the police stations where they can send it to

Let's face it: it's always inconvenient. Why can't you acknowledge that?

[Sviss Geez]

Obviously every traffic officer is going to want to "participate" in this sweepstakes giveaway, so what happens when motorists stop handing over their tea money. It doesn't take a genius to figure out how to get on the winners list, no actual bribe attempt really required...

And how many of these "rewards" will be paid out before whatever's funding it @ B10K a pop runs dry? Then what happens?

The whole thing is so bizarre. A great setup opportunity and worrisome incentive for cops. But NO rewards in it for motorists, honest or otherwise. As if it's the motorists that were the problem!

"As if it's the motorists that were the problem!"

If they are committing an offence then the motorist is the problem.

In far too many cases, that can be a pretty big "if" as it relies entirely on the officer's "perception." Damn, there goes my "69" posts. I really intended to have it hold there for a while.

Obviously, but if they are committing an offence there is no "if" at all and in many cases offences are being committed.

[Songlaw]

So does this mean that the fine for attempting to bribe a police officer is now over 10,000?

In essence, yes. At least for the moment. And I'd say 10,500 would be the opening bid. Anything less, and you'll likely be needing bail as well. Might be easier just to sell the car. At least for us. There will have to be some who will be incentivized to approach those who look like they can readily pay the fine without languishing in a cell somewhere. An inopportune time to be caucasian.

[Songlaw]

So does this mean that the fine for attempting to bribe a police officer is now over 10,000?

In essence, yes. At least for the moment. And I'd say 10,500 would be the opening bid. Anything less, and you'll likely be needing bail as well. Might be easier just to sell the car. At least for us. There will have to be some who will be incentivized to approach those who look like they can readily pay the fine without languishing in a cell somewhere. An inopportune time to be caucasian.

Sorry, I thought you said "line." As in "betting line." The fine will most assuredly be above the 10000 baht mark. We really need a delete feature here.

Edited October 10, 2014 by Songlaw

[Sviss Geez]

"Can you imagine if the cop takes your license if you are in some area just passing through?"

In that case you ask the officer to send the licence to a police station of your choice, which they will do, and the fine is paid there.

Yeah, of course I know all the names of the police stations where they can send it to

Let's face it: it's always inconvenient. Why can't you acknowledge that?

You don't have to know every police station in the country, but most normal people would know if there was a police station near to, say, where they live or work, wouldn't they? Or they could ask the officer, he will tell you, it's not that difficult.

I didn't say that paying a fine officially isn't inconvenient but isn't inconvenience one of the intended elements of a punishment for a crime?

Edited October 10, 2014 by Sviss Geez

[Mosha]

H'mm I need an adaptor so I can plug a 2nd camera in and still be able to use my Sat Nav.

[Docno]

The fact that this story (cop refuses bribe!) merits a piece in a national newspaper is telling in itself

In tomorrow's news: "VIP yields handicapped parking space to disabled person!" and "taxi driver uses meter and takes tourist on most direct route to hotel!"

[Mosha]

This could be a big buisiness : i give the policeman a bribe of say 50 baht, i am arrested ok ! The policeman get the reward of 10k baht, then we share minus the fine for attempt to corruption.

You seem to be forgetting the bit about your being prosecuted for attempting to bribe the officer.

Who do you think encouraged the practice in the 1st place?

Who knows? That's a bit of a chicken and egg question, certainly you or I don't know who started it, it could have been Thailand's first bent officer or the first corrupt motorist.

Whatever it was doesn't alter the fact that there will have to be some prosecutions of motorist who attempt to bribe officers.

I once talked to a guy in Bangkok who was moaning about getting an on the spot fine for speeding while his car was stuck in the famous grid locks. That was about 28 years ago. They've been holding their hands out in this fashion for decades.

[jonw8uk]

And for all the people here that think this is a good step:

Would you like losing a half day or a day just to pay a fine of 300 baht to pay at some far away police station to get your license back?

The insinuation there is that paying a bribe is a good thing to avoid that hassle. That's the kind of mentality that keeps bribes going. The system needs to be improved, for sure, but keeping a culture of bribes going isn't the answer.

Yes, and as he said, making paying the fine easier than paying the bribe is key.

He's talking about the reality of it; It is more convenient to pay the bribe - less than a minute and on your way, or at least half a day getting to the appropiate police station - a crazy system.

Issue a ticket, it goes onto a computer system, you can pay online, or 7/11 counter service etc.

Solved.....

[robblok]

And for all the people here that think this is a good step:

Would you like losing a half day or a day just to pay a fine of 300 baht to pay at some far away police station to get your license back?

The insinuation there is that paying a bribe is a good thing to avoid that hassle. That's the kind of mentality that keeps bribes going. The system needs to be improved, for sure, but keeping a culture of bribes going isn't the answer.

Yes, and as he said, making paying the fine easier than paying the bribe is key.

He's talking about the reality of it; It is more convenient to pay the bribe - less than a minute and on your way, or at least half a day getting to the appropiate police station - a crazy system.

Issue a ticket, it goes onto a computer system, you can pay online, or 7/11 counter service etc.

Solved.....

Agreed.. or pay them all at your next renewal of road tax.. whatever but taking away your license and getting it back to pay a fine is just crazy and loss of time.

[NomadJoe]

Can anyone tell me what the fine is for bribing a cop???

Thai Criminal Code Section 144: Bribing a government official is punishable by imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years, a fine not exceeding 10,000 baht,or both.

For the officer, Section 149: Accepting a bribe is punishable by imprisonment from 5 years to life imprisonment or death and/or a fine of 2,000-10,000 baht.

http://www.trafficpolice.go.th/view_news.php?id=18570

[oneday]

What a fantastic incentive for police officers to start pulling in innocent people right and left so they can get their hands on 10,000 baht. This has got to be the most ill-conceived idea I have ever heard of. Now I'm in fear of being accused of offering a bribe when it is not true. After all, who are the police going to believe when it's a cops word against a regular citizen's word.

As someone said, when pulled over you better turn on your phone's voice recorder.

A better program would be for a citizen to get the 10,000 baht when an officer asks for a bribe. Now that I could get behind.

[Cheops]

And for all the people here that think this is a good step:

Would you like losing a half day or a day just to pay a fine of 300 baht to pay at some far away police station to get your license back?

The insinuation there is that paying a bribe is a good thing to avoid that hassle. That's the kind of mentality that keeps bribes going. The system needs to be improved, for sure, but keeping a culture of bribes going isn't the answer.

Yes, and as he said, making paying the fine easier than paying the bribe is key.

He's talking about the reality of it; It is more convenient to pay the bribe - less than a minute and on your way, or at least half a day getting to the appropiate police station - a crazy system.

Issue a ticket, it goes onto a computer system, you can pay online, or 7/11 counter service etc.

Solved.....

Agreed.. or pay them all at your next renewal of road tax.. whatever but taking away your license and getting it back to pay a fine is just crazy and loss of time.

That is a great idea : pay all open fines before you can get your rd tax cleared!

[Cheops]

And for all the people here that think this is a good step:

Would you like losing a half day or a day just to pay a fine of 300 baht to pay at some far away police station to get your license back?

The insinuation there is that paying a bribe is a good thing to avoid that hassle. That's the kind of mentality that keeps bribes going. The system needs to be improved, for sure, but keeping a culture of bribes going isn't the answer.

Yes, and as he said, making paying the fine easier than paying the bribe is key.

He's talking about the reality of it; It is more convenient to pay the bribe - less than a minute and on your way, or at least half a day getting to the appropiate police station - a crazy system.

Issue a ticket, it goes onto a computer system, you can pay online, or 7/11 counter service etc.

Solved.....

Thanks, that is exactly my point!