Bangkok:- Tourist police have come up with an innovative idea to protect tourists from bag snatchers while they are enjoying riding the famous tuktuk vehicles on Bangkok streets.

The Tourist Police Division 1 has tuktuk or motor-tricycles in Bangkok covered with the net so that pillion-rider bag snatchers could not snatch their valuables or bags away. So far, most tuktuk has joined the net protecting program.

The open-air tuktuk are so popular among foreign tourists that they recommend friends and relatives to try when they visit Bangkok for the first time.

However, since the tuktuk has no protection part to shield passengers, bag snatchers on speeding motorcycles found the tuktuk passengers their easy preys.

Pol Maj Bowornpop Sunthornrekha, an inspector of Tourist Police Division 1 who came up with the net idea, said the black net has been tested successful to protect foreign tourists and Thai passengers.

The net helps tuktuk vehicles retain their open-air character while tourists can rest assured that they would not be robbed.

Bowornpop said police earlier put up warning signs on tuktuk to warn tourist to be careful of their valuables but bag snatching still happened at the average of five times per month.

“The net may make the tuktuk not beautiful but it can effectively protect the passengers against bag snatchers,” Bowornpop said.

“Although passengers may place their bags between their legs, it will be hard for thieves to put their hands into the net to snatch them away and the passengers may give the thieves a boot.”

Bowornpop said tourist police will retain the warning signs. Initially, the signs are made in three languages of English, Japanese, and Chinese. Police have now added five more languages to the warning signs.

I'd rather use a long, strong stick, and throw it between the spokes.

Hmmm, how about coming of their lazy arse and enforcing laws, for a change?

Great ideA

Preventing is the best

I want to see a picture of the bug net.

Sounds like an intelligent idea. But I do not see how it could make a tuk tuk less beautiful. I have never seen a beautiful tuk tuk.

Good to see the tourist police net-working !

It is a good idea. The net could be practically placed only on the lower part

of the tuck tuck so riders could still take beautiful pictures and enjoy the view .

Meanwhile.... I would LOVE to ride one like this!

Edited March 16, 201511 yr by doremifasol

It's or getting robbed by motorcycle pillion-rider bag snatchers or by tuktuk drivers....

Tourist's choice. (or both)

Edited March 16, 201511 yr by FredNL

I've been seeing these for a while now. Not on all tuk tuks of course, but they are out there.

tuk tuk

and smoke smoke

and polution polution

followed by RIP OFF, RIP OFF

This whole tuk-tuk thing leaves me cold. Why on earth would anyone want to be ripped off to ride in one of these awful contraptions, breathing in traffic fumes, sitting very uncomfortably and feeling totally unsafe as large vehicles pass you every minute because you are traveling so slowly. I rode in one when I first came to Thailand....but honestly it is time to consign all tuk-tuks in Thailand to the garbage dump and end this utterly miserable form of transport.