Thailand Crime Statistics

[hdkane]

Hello,

Some people declare that Thailand is the most dangerous tourist destination. Other blogs and posts report that Thailand is quite safe, compared to most countries. For my own edification, I'd like to do an analysis of crime in Thailand, as it relates to Farang and tourists. I've tried to find some statistics on the net, but so far, I've only been able to locate very broad statistics that do not include some important considerations (e.g., nationality and race of victim) that are especially important in these kinds of analyses (Bayesian). These variables are important to reach an informed and accurate portrait of crime. Unfortunately, they are often overlooked or ignored. As an example, in the USA, the media and scholars often lament that Blacks are frequently the victims of violent crime. Often ignored is that most crimes against Blacks are committed by Blacks. Similarly, Black on White crime is far more prevalent than White on Black crime. Also, while Blacks are more often assigned the death penalty, Whites are much more likely to be executed. As a final example drawn from the USA, while the militarized police often point to the danger associated with their jobs as justification for their aggression in dealing with the citizenry, farmers and garbage collectors are far more likely to be injured and killed on the job.

Does anyone know where to locate crime rates/statistics about Thailand? Stats that would include the race/nationality of the victim/criminal? With this information, I can finally determine the real risk of crime if you are a Farang living or visiting Thailand.

[CharlieH]

Your western approach, to media, reports, collation of information, reporting etc is for the most part I suggest alien here. There isnt the same level of media coverage, there isnt the same level of tabloid reporting and certainly isnt the level of effective and accurate law enforcement. (Nationwide). What happens etc in rural Thailand as to Coastal areas or main tourist areas/Cities are absolutely poles apart and any "overall" conclusion drawn, would be so far off for most of the provinces. (in my opinion).

Example: I have been here 10 years, amount of reported crime in my area = 0, amount of drug related crimes = 0, amount of violent crimes = 0

I could go on and on and its all zero., including Police presence = 0 Media = 0 its not because they dont happen, they are just dealt with locally and unless you or your family/friends are directly involved, you wont hear or know of it.

Any problems in most villages etc are handled by the village, in there own way, as they have done for many many years.

Good luck with your search, personally I think it will be pretty meaningless compared to actually living here. (IMHO)

The best source of information are the people who live here and there personal experiences and knowledge and that will vary widely too.

[Swiss1960]

Op, I can only fully agree with CharlieH. If you really think that you can "finally determine the real risk of crime if you are a Farang living or visiting Thailand" based on statistics of race / nationality etc, then you miss so many obvious elements like

- place of crime (i.e. redlight zones in big cities vs. secure mo baans vs. rural areas)

- time of crime (i.e. farang mugged at 4am in Soi6 Pattaya vs. 2pm on Beach Road)

- type of farang (i.e. looking for trouble vs. carefully avoiding trouble)

- etc etc

In all my years of travelling around the world, the worst crimes I encountered towares myself were stolen mobile phones - 1 in Las Vegas on a bus during a city tour and 1 in London in the lobby of a 4* Business hotel... and nothing ever happened to me in all of my 10 years as a tourist in Thailand in none of the many places I ever visited.

P.S.: the only crime ever tried towards me in Thailand was 8y ago when a ladyboy tried to "steal" my "other" virginity

[i claudius]

In the 24 years I have been back and fore on a regular basis living here permanently the last 10,I keep reading in the press and being told how dangerous it is .well living in Bangkok,I never ever saw or heard of any problems,except in the newspapers,in Pattaya we were broken into ,he was chased off and went to prison and I once saw 3 Thais fighting, I often read about stuff but never see it ,in my old home town in the UK ,the wheels were stolen off my car,it was broken into 3 times in car parks ,I saw 2 muggings. Both by black guys, some Pakistani broke into our house. He was caught when he tried to use my daughter's credit card,lucky he was stupid,two of my neighbours were broken into and on various occasioned neighbours cars were stolen or broken into,I sometimes leave mine unlocked here in Pattaya it's never been touched. So go figure where is it safer?

[GuestHouse]

I would expect the embassies have pretty good data on foreigner deaths.

What you are likely to get from a discussion on this subject here on TVF is a violent argument over safety in Thailand.

Write to the embassies, they may or may not respond, but at least you'll be going to where records are kept.

Both the British and the US embassies are obliged under the freedom of information laws to provide the data, though the may refer you to the Foreign Office or the State Department to get it.

[Tongdee]

Your western approach, to media, reports, collation of information, reporting etc is for the most part I suggest alien here. There isnt the same level of media coverage, there isnt the same level of tabloid reporting and certainly isnt the level of effective and accurate law enforcement. (Nationwide). What happens etc in rural Thailand as to Coastal areas or main tourist areas/Cities are absolutely poles apart and any "overall" conclusion drawn, would be so far off for most of the provinces. (in my opinion).

Example: I have been here 10 years, amount of reported crime in my area = 0, amount of drug related crimes = 0, amount of violent crimes = 0

I could go on and on and its all zero., including Police presence = 0 Media = 0 its not because they dont happen, they are just dealt with locally and unless you or your family/friends are directly involved, you wont hear or know of it.

Any problems in most villages etc are handled by the village, in there own way, as they have done for many many years.

Good luck with your search, personally I think it will be pretty meaningless compared to actually living here. (IMHO)

The best source of information are the people who live here and there personal experiences and knowledge and that will vary widely too.

The physical location in the kingdom is only one factor in the dangers involved in "Tourism". There are a couple well known danger zones

If you get up at the crack of dawn, do not consume any illegal substances, do not consume alcohol to excess,

do not become involved with illegal activities (gambling, "prostitution"), or go anywhere with someone who claims to be able for any reason to get you a deal that is "To Good To Be True",

do pay your bills, do not rent a jet ski, Do not display "Bling". Smile. Do not raise your voice remain calm & in control of your emotions at all times.

and go alone or with a "frieind" (New Rule: i before & after e if you know anyone who has smoked pot) you have known for years before 21:30 to the place you will spend the night.

Leave the Kingdom when your finances become inadequate to support youir preferred lifestyle. Realize you are far smaller than the way it is

and don't try to change it or openly pass judgement on the society you are Visiting.

That should eliminate most "Problem Situations" and "Problem People" from "most" places in Thailand and for what it is worth wherever the xell you are from... ... ...

[Swiss1960]

The physical location in the kingdom is only one factor in the dangers involved in "Tourism". There are a couple well known danger zones

If you get up at the crack of dawn, do not consume any illegal substances, do not consume alcohol to excess,

do not become involved with illegal activities (gambling, "prostitution"), or go anywhere with someone who claims to be able for any reason to get you a deal that is "To Good To Be True",

do pay your bills, do not rent a jet ski, Do not display "Bling". Smile. Do not raise your voice remain calm & in control of your emotions at all times.

and go alone or with a "frieind" (New Rule: i before & after e if you know anyone who has smoked pot) you have known for years before 21:30 to the place you will spend the night.

Leave the Kingdom when your finances become inadequate to support youir preferred lifestyle. Realize you are far smaller than the way it is

and don't try to change it or openly pass judgement on the society you are Visiting.

That should eliminate most "Problem Situations" and "Problem People" from "most" places in Thailand and for what it is worth wherever the xell you are from... ... ...

.. all of which is true for every foreigner living in any place.

[CharlieH]

Your western approach, to media, reports, collation of information, reporting etc is for the most part I suggest alien here. There isnt the same level of media coverage, there isnt the same level of tabloid reporting and certainly isnt the level of effective and accurate law enforcement. (Nationwide). What happens etc in rural Thailand as to Coastal areas or main tourist areas/Cities are absolutely poles apart and any "overall" conclusion drawn, would be so far off for most of the provinces. (in my opinion).

Example: I have been here 10 years, amount of reported crime in my area = 0, amount of drug related crimes = 0, amount of violent crimes = 0

I could go on and on and its all zero., including Police presence = 0 Media = 0 its not because they dont happen, they are just dealt with locally and unless you or your family/friends are directly involved, you wont hear or know of it.

Any problems in most villages etc are handled by the village, in there own way, as they have done for many many years.

Good luck with your search, personally I think it will be pretty meaningless compared to actually living here. (IMHO)

The best source of information are the people who live here and there personal experiences and knowledge and that will vary widely too.

The physical location in the kingdom is only one factor in the dangers involved in "Tourism". There are a couple well known danger zones

If you get up at the crack of dawn, do not consume any illegal substances, do not consume alcohol to excess,

do not become involved with illegal activities (gambling, "prostitution"), or go anywhere with someone who claims to be able for any reason to get you a deal that is "To Good To Be True",

do pay your bills, do not rent a jet ski, Do not display "Bling". Smile. Do not raise your voice remain calm & in control of your emotions at all times.

and go alone or with a "frieind" (New Rule: i before & after e if you know anyone who has smoked pot) you have known for years before 21:30 to the place you will spend the night.

Leave the Kingdom when your finances become inadequate to support youir preferred lifestyle. Realize you are far smaller than the way it is

and don't try to change it or openly pass judgement on the society you are Visiting.

That should eliminate most "Problem Situations" and "Problem People" from "most" places in Thailand and for what it is worth wherever the xell you are from... ... ...

You mean, in short, "common sense", which many leave in the departure lounge !

[themerg]

numbeo.com has stats for over 150 cities around the world

[hdkane]

Your western approach, to media, reports, collation of information, reporting etc is for the most part I suggest alien here. There isnt the same level of media coverage, there isnt the same level of tabloid reporting and certainly isnt the level of effective and accurate law enforcement. (Nationwide). What happens etc in rural Thailand as to Coastal areas or main tourist areas/Cities are absolutely poles apart and any "overall" conclusion drawn, would be so far off for most of the provinces. (in my opinion).

Example: I have been here 10 years, amount of reported crime in my area = 0, amount of drug related crimes = 0, amount of violent crimes = 0

I could go on and on and its all zero., including Police presence = 0 Media = 0 its not because they dont happen, they are just dealt with locally and unless you or your family/friends are directly involved, you wont hear or know of it.

Any problems in most villages etc are handled by the village, in there own way, as they have done for many many years.

Good luck with your search, personally I think it will be pretty meaningless compared to actually living here. (IMHO)

The best source of information are the people who live here and there personal experiences and knowledge and that will vary widely too.

What an excellent point...I suppose to it's futile to draw any meaningful conclusion based on any available data...so I have to ask...do you feel safe and secure here? For me, I've always felt safe in Thailand...at least against unprovoked attacks and such...but those are the kinds of stories that seem to be reported on the net...but as I get older, the issue of personal security is becoming more relevant to me...I suppose the thing to do is just be rational and realistic...crime can happen anywhere to anyone...Thanks for the insight into the media coverage here...it's a point I hadn't really considered fully...

[Estrada]

When I was writing the BMA Solid Waste Management Report, I went to the National Statistics Office. This is now situated on the second floor of The Government Complex,Building B, Chaeng Watthana Rd, Laksi Bangkok 10210 Thailand Tel. (66) 02142-1234 Information Services: [email protected]

You will find on their web site links to reports from a number of Ministries, you mainly need the Ministry of Public Health reports here:

http://service.nso.go.th/nso/nso_center/project/search_center/23project-en.htm

The latest reports are 2012/2013. But at the N.S.O. you can request more up to date information as required. You can also get infomation from Statistical publications sold by Asia Books.

I also got a lot of information from the Asia Institute of Technology Library (A.I.T.).

[thousandpercent]

Crime data will be scarce and misleading, lacking in internal and external validity for a plethora of reasons (One police official wants to create impression he is doing a great job by reporting no crime, another by inflating the number of arrests). In other words, only fictitious data will be publicized. There are other data sets you will find more useful, like hospital records. You can also compare insurance claims between countries, or conduct a survey.

[Tatsujin]

Only for the Brits, but quite interesting:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/british-behaviour-abroad-report-2013

"Statistics for British citizens in Thailand during 2012-2013 include more than 870,000 visitors and an additional 50,000 residents.

389 British citizens died in Thailand in 2012-2013. The year before it was 296 people, so an increase of more than 31 percent. Many of these, however, are linked to aging British retirees who live in Thailand and who are more susceptible to illness and disease, as well as to road traffic accidents including mopeds and motorbikes."

[Suradit69]

In the 24 years I have been back and fore on a regular basis living here permanently the last 10,I keep reading in the press and being told how dangerous it is .well living in Bangkok,I never ever saw or heard of any problems,except in the newspapers,in Pattaya we were broken into ,he was chased off and went to prison and I once saw 3 Thais fighting, I often read about stuff but never see it ,in my old home town in the UK ,the wheels were stolen off my car,it was broken into 3 times in car parks ,I saw 2 muggings. Both by black guys, some Pakistani broke into our house. He was caught when he tried to use my daughter's credit card,lucky he was stupid,two of my neighbours were broken into and on various occasioned neighbours cars were stolen or broken into,I sometimes leave mine unlocked here in Pattaya it's never been touched. So go figure where is it safer?

Yes, too many people read the "stories" and crime analysis of fellow Thai Visa posters who knew someone who heard that ... and get their knickers in a knot. I've never personally experienced any crime here or felt unsafe any place I've been in Bangkok or Chiang Mai or Pattaya. Certainly there is crime, but it's not something I would be more worried about here than anywhere else I've lived. And a high percentage of the hysteria posted on TV is the stuff of fiction.

Of course, it you stagger about in a drunken stupor at 2 in the morning on the beach or seek companionship from someone who approaches you on Surawong Rd, you certainly improve the chances you'll have some first-hand experiences.

Edited April 10, 2015 by Suradit69

[Escapologist]

When we speak of crime level back home we usually refer to specific areas. I wouldn't have thought that nationally aggregated crime stats are that useful. In the UK we have an online crime map which shows us crime statistics right down to street level. But the UK government is big and needs to record statistics about everything. Probably not the same in Thailand and so a like-for-like comparison is probably unlikely. I'd say that Thailand can be dangerous for foreigners though unless we wise up on arrival. Knowing what areas to avoid and when to avoid them is always a good start! It's a bit lame to hang about at 3am in drug-pushing-transvestite-hooker central and then complain about crime. One thing that a lot of tourists like me find difficult to deal with though is all the scamming. And, yes, it is conspicuously bad in Thailand. Drives me nuts!

[quandow]

Even if you found statistics, would you believe them? The only real violence I was ever personally involved in, and only in a tertiary manner, was when a teacher at Regent's had his head bashed by a British thug who, to my knowledge, was never jailed for the crime, This story was silenced very quickly by the Thai media as it reflected poorly on the kingdom. To quote Mark Twain, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

[evadgib]

Only for the Brits, but quite interesting:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/british-behaviour-abroad-report-2013

"Statistics for British citizens in Thailand during 2012-2013 include more than 870,000 visitors and an additional 50,000 residents.

389 British citizens died in Thailand in 2012-2013. The year before it was 296 people, so an increase of more than 31 percent. Many of these, however, are linked to aging British retirees who live in Thailand and who are more susceptible to illness and disease, as well as to road traffic accidents including mopeds and motorbikes."

British Behaviour Abroad report 2014

A new one is expected in July.

Edited April 11, 2015 by evadgib

[ALFREDO]

In comparison to the World per capita, - Wikipedia - Thailand and the USA nearly same rank.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate

[Beetlejuice]

Thailand is just like anywhere else, crime rates can vary enormously according to the area. For example, although no official statistics, my educated guess is that a farang has a much higher chance of being a victim of crime in Pattaya and Phuket, than in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Then of course there are the troubles in the deep south, where murders and serious crimes are regular occurrences. Similar in the States and UK, where there are certain areas I would feel more at risk of being a victim of crime than others.

Obviously we can all become victims of a crime, just by being in the wrong places at the wrong time, but we can lower the odds by avoiding high risk crime areas.

My advice is; to complete your analysis of crime in Thailand, is to study the online news reports, including the news section here on Thai visa, say for example, over a period of the last 20 years, compiling and collating a list of crimes by categories and areas of the country, including race and nationalities of the perpetrators and the victims (that maybe relevant if you are pertaining to tourists). . Probably take a year or two to complete. Whether you consider this as worthwhile, depends how keen you are and how much effort you are prepared to put into this said project?

Edited April 12, 2015 by Beetlejuice

[PHP87]

numbeo.com has stats for over 150 cities around the world

Numbeo is my go to source when researching many things such as cost of living, crime rates, etc.

"Thailand" is a broad term.

It's like asking "what is crime in the US like?"

Crime in Chiang Mai is very low.

Crime in Pattaya is not.

Thailand is a big country with a lot of Provinces and Cities, each with differing crime rates.