Phuket riot police gifted B100k in cash for bravery, peacefully holding the line

[Alration]

Where did the money come from? Why a reward for doing your job? Why didn't they fight back?

Read the report...

"Phuket Provincial Police Chief Maj Gen Pachara Boonyasit assured that the cash donated was out of other police officers' own pockets."

The job of the police is to keep the peace in these situations, not to escalate the problem by fighting the rioters

[elgordo38]

I want a job at the RTP!

Forget salaries put them on commission.

[elgordo38]

There must be a lot of new "check-points" around the country to collect "a little extra" for the cause.

Or maybe the outgoing chief could reach in his pocket and help out all of those who funneled money to the top over his years.

Its called "Velocity of Money"

[elgordo38]

The problem with gifting police with cash prizes is that they get to use it and associate doing their job

with immediate cash rewards, what happened to merit points, up rank and better salary? what

happened to just being a good policemen and proud in your mission to serve and protect? Ah ok,

you can't pay rent and buy beer with the above....

Your showing your age making a statement like this. Today its free coffee and donuts.

[Alration]

he says the money came from the pockets of other police, but who's pockets did that money come from before it went into the pockets of those other police?

And where did it come from before that, and before that, and before that? How far back would you want to go with that banal question?

[elgordo38]

Paying cops 'bonuses' for doing their job is one step away from paying them not to do their job.

Look in the rear view mirror. That train has already left the station.

[elgordo38]

Wow! Pay the cops for killing teens. Way to go! That's real good PR to pay the cops before you compensate the decedants' families. Given the low pay of police officers, there seems to be an awful lot of free cash flowing through the police departments in Thailand.

How exactly did the police kill the boys? If they had nothing to hide why run? They killed themselves by getting into things they shouldn't be involved in.

If you were born and raised here hmm you might run to. We had a personal experience in my g/f's family that would explain it all. I will not go into details.

[Alration]

We had a personal experience in my g/f's family that would explain it all. I will not go into details.

So why mention it?

[siam2007]

Is this the new "norm"? Pay cops extra for doing their jobs.

Maybe it is a kind of commission.

it's obvious you haven't been to Cambodia or Vietnam yet....

[DaveinAsia]

Wow! Pay the cops for killing teens. Way to go! That's real good PR to pay the cops before you compensate the decedants' families. Given the low pay of police officers, there seems to be an awful lot of free cash flowing through the police departments in Thailand.

I keep hearing about the low pay of the police officers, does anyone know how much they actually get paid?

Starting pay about 15,000 baht/month (typical gov rate, same for teacher, any gov officer). But they have to buy own uniform, gun, ammo, radio, etc. Also they get a share from the fines collected, up to a maximum of about 10 -12,000 baht/month.

Maybe that's in Kata but here in BKK an average cop can pull in about 200 - 400k/month. That's the average Joe.

When I lived in Lumpini Park View on Rama 4, just around the corner from Sathon I had a great view of the overpass and where the cops would position themselves every Friday and Saturday night to catch the drink driving guys. One Saturday night at around 1am I sat on my balcony watching them for 30 minutes or so. In that time they pulled over 45 motorbikes and 23 cars. Money exchanged hands about 50% of the time. Knowing that the average bribe for just having a few drinks is about 2-3000 THB. For being a bit drunk it's around 4k and for being drunk it's anywhere between 5 and 10k. This means that on average these cops pull in about 100k every 30 minutes or so. Multiply this by 8 and you have the profit of Lumpini copshop for a weekend night.

Divide this by how many cops are in on this scam and suddenly it becomes clear why it costs several millions to buy oneself into the RTP.

Not a bad 'salary' at all

[LivinginKata]

I keep hearing about the low pay of the police officers, does anyone know how much they actually get paid?

Starting pay about 15,000 baht/month (typical gov rate, same for teacher, any gov officer). But they have to buy own uniform, gun, ammo, radio, etc. Also they get a share from the fines collected, up to a maximum of about 10 -12,000 baht/month.

Maybe that's in Kata but here in BKK an average cop can pull in about 200 - 400k/month. That's the average Joe.

When I lived in Lumpini Park View on Rama 4, just around the corner from Sathon I had a great view of the overpass and where the cops would position themselves every Friday and Saturday night to catch the drink driving guys. One Saturday night at around 1am I sat on my balcony watching them for 30 minutes or so. In that time they pulled over 45 motorbikes and 23 cars. Money exchanged hands about 50% of the time. Knowing that the average bribe for just having a few drinks is about 2-3000 THB. For being a bit drunk it's around 4k and for being drunk it's anywhere between 5 and 10k. This means that on average these cops pull in about 100k every 30 minutes or so. Multiply this by 8 and you have the profit of Lumpini copshop for a weekend night.

Divide this by how many cops are in on this scam and suddenly it becomes clear why it costs several millions to buy oneself into the RTP.

Not a bad 'salary' at all

The question asked was 'offical pay' which is the same all over Thailand. I know cos my wife's nephew was a policeman near BKK. After a few years he transferred to Immigration - same official pay, more potential income.

[Jimi007]

Is this the new "norm"? Pay cops extra for doing their jobs.

Maybe it is a kind of commission.

it's obvious you haven't been to Cambodia or Vietnam yet....

Nor has he been in Thailand for very long! I had to pay a local police Captain, 3,000 Baht to get back my stolen motorbike about 8 years ago. 500 Baht to file a police report for a stolen phone, so I could get a replacement SIM card with the same number….

Edited October 14, 2015 by Jimi007

[Broken Record]

Police will always be corrupt in Thailand, they and the Army are not much more than a private security force for the very few with massive wealth in this country, it's like a system from medievil times when a select few could do anything they wanted and the poor majority were kept in their place by ruthless armed men paid for by the nobility.

This is why the mass corruption in This private Army is tolerated, the only people that can do anything about it need it to stay the way it is, to protect them from the masses.

Edited October 14, 2015 by Broken Record

[teelac5]

Paying cops 'bonuses' for doing their job is one step away from paying them not to do their job.

but they already get paid for not doing their jobs, in fact they get more for not doing their jobs than for doing their jobs in the way of corrupt bribes from rich heirs and the like. And lets not forget a couple of years ago about the cheating going on at the police force entrance exams(and it must have been easier to get away with it 20/30/40 yrs ago), so you can pretty much guarantee that the whole force(all the way to the top) is probably only qualified to be bin men and have no idea what it takes to be Po Po.

[GAZZPA]

Wow! Pay the cops for killing teens. Way to go! That's real good PR to pay the cops before you compensate the decedants' families. Given the low pay of police officers, there seems to be an awful lot of free cash flowing through the police departments in Thailand.

I keep hearing about the low pay of the police officers, does anyone know how much they actually get paid?

Starting pay about 15,000 baht/month (typical gov rate, same for teacher, any gov officer). But they have to buy own uniform, gun, ammo, radio, etc. Also they get a share from the fines collected, up to a maximum of about 10 -12,000 baht/month.

Thank for posting this, good to have some clarity on this point.

So, from what I see they have a low base but can basically near double their income by collecting fines. Very poor structure, no wonder they do nothing but stand around handing out fines. Plus I guess of course this does not include the "tea money" that they collect cash by the roadside.

So, theoretically, they can earn 15,000 + 12,000 + roadside cash, who knows how much that is but lets for argument sake say its 10,000 baht. So total income 37,000 baht a month. They are hardly poor by Thai standards considering the minimal wage is 300 baht a day (7200 a month on 6 day week).

Not sure what structure they would employ but clearly there is enough money to pay police the correct salary without adding a commercial entity and put these guys to work enforcing the law.

If someone was willing there will certainly be a way,, and there is the rub,, I am sure the big bosses earn considerably more and do not want to change to a transparent salary structure as they will likely lose money.

I bet overall the Thai senior police are probably the highest paid officers in the world when you consider all of the cash that is flying about.

About time Thailand dealt with this, squashed the corruption and built a police force to be proud of, we can only hope..

[soalbundy]

Is this the new "norm"? Pay cops extra for doing their jobs.

Maybe it is a kind of commission.

it's obvious you haven't been to Cambodia or Vietnam yet....

Nor has he been in Thailand for very long! I had to pay a local police Captain, 3,000 Baht to get back my stolen motorbike about 8 years ago. 500 Baht to file a police report for a stolen phone, so I could get a replacement SIM card with the same number….

It would have been cheaper to say i'm not paying that and come back with a lawyer

[GAZZPA]

Wow! Pay the cops for killing teens. Way to go! That's real good PR to pay the cops before you compensate the decedants' families. Given the low pay of police officers, there seems to be an awful lot of free cash flowing through the police departments in Thailand.

I keep hearing about the low pay of the police officers, does anyone know how much they actually get paid?

Starting pay about 15,000 baht/month (typical gov rate, same for teacher, any gov officer). But they have to buy own uniform, gun, ammo, radio, etc. Also they get a share from the fines collected, up to a maximum of about 10 -12,000 baht/month.

Maybe that's in Kata but here in BKK an average cop can pull in about 200 - 400k/month. That's the average Joe.

When I lived in Lumpini Park View on Rama 4, just around the corner from Sathon I had a great view of the overpass and where the cops would position themselves every Friday and Saturday night to catch the drink driving guys. One Saturday night at around 1am I sat on my balcony watching them for 30 minutes or so. In that time they pulled over 45 motorbikes and 23 cars. Money exchanged hands about 50% of the time. Knowing that the average bribe for just having a few drinks is about 2-3000 THB. For being a bit drunk it's around 4k and for being drunk it's anywhere between 5 and 10k. This means that on average these cops pull in about 100k every 30 minutes or so. Multiply this by 8 and you have the profit of Lumpini copshop for a weekend night.

Divide this by how many cops are in on this scam and suddenly it becomes clear why it costs several millions to buy oneself into the RTP.

Not a bad 'salary' at all

S*it that is scary. Assuming you are right the Thai police most certainly are the highest paid police force in the world.

And look at the quality of policing you get, absolutely disgusting. The system is well and truly broken but it will take serious power an influence to hose out the stables and get shot of these jokers. One day it will happen for sure as Thailand grows it will need to tow the line and clean up its act,,, unless of course they really screw up and do not grow in which case the country is domed to be the poor relative of SE Asia.

[Nomyai]

An old thai elder told me "show me the money!" hahahaha. Now after many years i know what he meant.

[LivinginKata]

Nor has he been in Thailand for very long! I had to pay a local police Captain, 3,000 Baht to get back my stolen motorbike about 8 years ago. 500 Baht to file a police report for a stolen phone, so I could get a replacement SIM card with the same number.

It would have been cheaper to say i'm not paying that and come back with a lawyer

And how much would the lawyer cost ? Not really cost effective.

[soalbundy]

Nor has he been in Thailand for very long! I had to pay a local police Captain, 3,000 Baht to get back my stolen motorbike about 8 years ago. 500 Baht to file a police report for a stolen phone, so I could get a replacement SIM card with the same number.

It would have been cheaper to say i'm not paying that and come back with a lawyer

And how much would the lawyer cost ? Not really cost effective.

I have used them before in disputes with both the amphur and police, an honest lawyer isn't that expensive, you can ask beforehand what his services cost, it usually gets expensive once things go to court. Offering cost effective services outside of court could be considered a good advertisement for themselves. Incidentally i have found that the threat of using a lawyer with the police is usually enough to make them kow tow, when i threatened to bring a lawyer to the station to a police captain who showed no interest in my complaint his demeanour changed immediately,''Please don't do that, my boss will think i'm not doing my job''. ''Well do your job then'', ''Right'', he said getting out his report pad.

As to cost's reffering to your motorbike, it would have been something like a 1000 Baht for advice and around 2000 Baht to go to the police station with you, if not too far away, so around the same that you paid the police but you would have had the satisfaction of knowing you hadn't given in.

Edited October 15, 2015 by soalbundy

[Jimi007]

Nor has he been in Thailand for very long! I had to pay a local police Captain, 3,000 Baht to get back my stolen motorbike about 8 years ago. 500 Baht to file a police report for a stolen phone, so I could get a replacement SIM card with the same number.

It would have been cheaper to say i'm not paying that and come back with a lawyer

And how much would the lawyer cost ? Not really cost effective.

I have used them before in disputes with both the amphur and police, an honest lawyer isn't that expensive, you can ask beforehand what his services cost, it usually gets expensive once things go to court. Offering cost effective services outside of court could be considered a good advertisement for themselves. Incidentally i have found that the threat of using a lawyer with the police is usually enough to make them kow tow, when i threatened to bring a lawyer to the station to a police captain who showed no interest in my complaint his demeanour changed immediately,''Please don't do that, my boss will think i'm not doing my job''. ''Well do your job then'', ''Right'', he said getting out his report pad.

As to cost's reffering to your motorbike, it would have been something like a 1000 Baht for advice and around 2000 Baht to go to the police station with you, if not too far away, so around the same that you paid the police but you would have had the satisfaction of knowing you hadn't given in.

The police captain started out asking for 6,000, he said it took 10 men to to arrest the guy as he was big mafia. I told him pang! He said ok, 3,000. There weren't all that many lawyers around Rawai way back then, there still aren't. And you don't really want the Chalong police pissed off at you.

[cookee68]

No wonder everybody wants to be a cop