The Royal Thai Police Restructuring

[Jai Dee]

PM urges every party exchange opinion in the Royal Thai Police restructure

The Prime Minister, Gen. Surayud Chulanont, has suggested all parties that are involved with the restructuring of the Royal Thai Police to exchange their opinions, both pros and cons, before deciding on the implementation.

Gen. Surayud commented on the restructuring of the Royal Thai Police, saying provincial police officers will be transferred to the local administrative organizations while the Royal Thai Police officers will be transferred to the Ministry of Justice. Many sides have given positive criticisms of the transfers because the officials can exchange their ideas.

The Prime Minister said he personally could not give his opinion whether he agrees with the restructure, but has urged relevant departments such as the Royal Thai Police, the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), the general public, and the educational institutions to help consult this issue with each other and gather the overall opinion.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 17 November 2006

[Briggsy]

Restructure all you like, they'll still remain self-serving, incompetent, above answering to any authority and mind-bogglingly corrupt.

[younghusband]

Restructure all you like, they'll still remain self-serving, incompetent, above answering to any authority and mind-bogglingly corrupt.

I understand why you say this, and would broadly agree your summary of the current situation.But I do think with courage and determination this problem could be dealt with.Corrupt and incompetent police forces have been reformed elsewhere.If General Surayud could initiate a top to bottom reform of the police force, the country would owe him a debt of gratitude.

[lannarebirth]

Restructure all you like, they'll still remain self-serving, incompetent, above answering to any authority and mind-bogglingly corrupt.

I understand why you say this, and would broadly agree your summary of the current situation.But I do think with courage and determination this problem could be dealt with.Corrupt and incompetent police forces have been reformed elsewhere.If General Surayud could initiate a top to bottom reform of the police force, the country would owe him a debt of gratitude.

It is absolutely the most important issue facing this struggling democracy. The irony is that there never seems to be any public discourse which is essential to foment strong democracy. The best that could be hoped for from the current approach is, I suppose, is some sort of tiny incremental improvement.

[isaanbrit]

Restructure all you like, they'll still remain self-serving, incompetent, above answering to any authority and mind-bogglingly corrupt.

So what do you suggest then Mr Know it all? Give up? Dont bother making any effort to try and improve?

Do you really beleive that Thailand will ALWAYS be corrupt? No, the more of these "steps" that the police take towards becoming more formal, the closer we will be to uncorruption (I made that word up) :-)

Whether thats a good thing or not, sure speeding tickets will be reduced by 50 baht but we wil have to spend an extra half an hour filling out forms, going to the police station etc -

hmmm, food for thought

[lamphun]

The police need a very large pay increase. I'm not sure what the pay of the average cop is at the moment but a few years back it was 5,000baht a month. If you allow someone with a gun unlimited power and then don't pay them enough to live on you're asking for trouble.

Edited November 17, 2006 by lamphun

[younghusband]

The police need a very large pay increase. I'm not sure what the pay of the average cop is at the moment but a few years back it was 5,000baht a month. If you allow someone with a gun unlimited power and then don't pay them enough to live on you're asking for trouble.

I don't disagree but all the evidence from other countries is that low pay is only one of the reasons for corruption, and certainly not the most important.I also think that it's important that police reform should be part of a more general drive on corruption.

[Briggsy]

Isaanbrit

My point was not that the police cannot become less corrupt but that shuffling departments and restructuring will have no effect.

In order to make the police a less corrupt organisation, a strong leader who punishes corrupt behaviour is vital. LOS and in particular the police are hierarchical societies and the culture is very much set by the person in charge.

This is highly unlikely to occur as

1. Senior police officers have to 'pay' for their promotions. These payments have to be recouped.

2. There are many industries which rely on the police being corrupt. Owners of road freight companies spring to mind. They generally get honest police shifted.

3. The huge potential pickings are too tempting.

4. There is an existing endemic culture of ignoring others' illegality within the police which would require a massive sea change.

I think we share the view that a less corrupt police force would benefit the country. I just don't see it happening soon. I certainly don't know it all.

[Jai Dee]

Police reform is top priority

Opportunity must not be missed to transform the force into a people-friendly law enforcement agency

The Surayud government and the Council for National Security (CNS), which came to power through a military coup, must not miss the window of opportunity to overhaul the corruption-prone national police force and subject it to civilian authority before they leave office next year. Elected politicians either have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo or are too fearful to offend the law enforcement agency.

Plans for police reform have been discussed, drawn up and then left to gather dust on the shelf. Successive civilian governments have lacked the political will to vigorously push for a drastic change for the better. Certain politicians are too cynical to forego the chance to manipulate the police force for their own selfish gain. For example, many corrupt politicians hire corrupt police officers to intimidate rivals or bribe them to avoid court action over illegal activities.

The Surayud government and the CNS, which together wield extraordinary political clout, should have no problem dealing with the national police force in an even-handed manner. After all, one of the main reasons cited by the interim government and leaders of the military council as justification for the overthrow of the Thaksin regime was to rid Thai society of corruption.

They owe it to the public to make good on this and other promises.

Prime Minister Surayud earlier this week appointed a 28-member police-reform committee, comprising criminal justice experts and chaired by retired Pol General Vasit Dejkunchorn, widely recognised for his personal integrity and professionalism. This is an encouraging sign that, at long last, a serious attempt is being made to transform the bloated national police force into an efficient law enforcement agency that is accountable to the public.

One proposal to be considered by the police reform committee would break down the monolithic national police force into 9 or 10 separate regional commands, to be overseen by supervisory civilian boards.

Another more drastic proposal calls for the dissolution of the national police force and to subject provincial police forces to the command of provincial governors.

Both proposals are consistent with the master plan being implemented to decentralise government powers. This is part of the effort to improve efficiency by, among other things, shortening government agencies' lines of command and making them accountable to the local people they are supposed to serve.

Any move to restructure the police force must be carried out in tandem with a serious attempt to upgrade professionalism, improve working conditions as well as adjust the remuneration for police officers. For too long, many police officers have been compelled to engage in corrupt practices - such as taking bribes to turn a blind eye to petty crime - to earn supplementary income in order to make ends meet.

Police officers receive salaries that are so ridiculously low. For example, a police sub-lieutenant has a monthly starting salary of less than Bt10,000, while a police private's monthly pay is only slightly higher than the minimum wage for an unskilled labourer.

But it would be simplistic to suggest that a sharp increase in salary would make rampant corruption among the force's members disappear overnight. Police corruption is rooted in the patronage system, a remnant from feudal times that remains deeply ingrained in virtually all spheres of life in this country.

The proposals to break down the cumbersome national police structure make a lot of sense. The highly centralised hierarchy and excessively long chain of command of the Royal Thai Police was modelled on that of the armed forces. That in itself was a shameful legacy of the past, when dictatorial regimes used the police to repress political dissent and control people by turning the country into a police state.

Deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra tried to turn the clock back and do exactly that. Thaksin, a former police lieutenant colonel, was known to have used the police and other law enforcement officials to commit crimes, including human rights violations linked to the controversial war on drugs, in which thousands of suspected drug traffickers were killed under dubious circumstances.

Failure by the Surayud government and the CNS to implement and accomplish police reform before they leave office will be a regrettable missed opportunity and an unacceptable betrayal of public trust.

Source - Editorial Opinion from The Nation - 18 November 2006

[Jai Dee]

Royal Thai Police to study the advantages/disadvantages of restructuring

The Royal Thai Police Commissioner-General, Pol. Gen. Kowit Wattana, has ordered the Royal Police Academy to gather the information on foreign police organizational structures before submitting the proposal to restructure the Royal Thai Police to the government.

Pol. Lt. Col. Pongpat Pongcharoen, the Royal Police Academy commanding officer, stated the information will include the advantages and disadvantages of different structures which may be used for the Royal Thai Police. He said executive-level and operational-level police officials will have a seminar to discuss this issue before it will be delivered to the government for further consideration. However, he said restructuring is not a fixed formula, but other factors have to be considered as well.

Pol. Lt. Col. Pongpat said the Royal Police Academy already has the information on foreign police organizational structures. This information will help police cadets to understand that police in foreign countries have different organizational structures because different countries have different surroundings.

The Office of the Royal Thai Police has undergone both major and minor changes during different national administrations, and some have been successful while others may not be as effective.

Therefore, it is important for all information and details to be studied thoroughly prior to the restructuring.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 20 November 2006

[albert dickinson]

The restructuring of the police is badly needed.Every educated person knows that they are corrupt from the top down.In order to change this situation you have to start at the top.without doubt you must pay them a salary equal to the job they do.firstly they must be educated that they are enforcers of the law.sitting in police boxes watching motorists go through red lights.Zebra crossings are for pedesrians.sitting in gold shops watching the TV is not police work.Tha Thai police forensic team should be disbanded and allow THONGTIP ROJOHANASEN to do her work unheeded.Albert

[sonnyJ]

The PM said it him self. No uncorrupt police in a hundred years.

Live with it.

[Briggsy]

The PM said it him self. No uncorrupt police in a hundred years.

Live with it.

Which PM, the current or the former? When did he say this? Are you sure he said this? I can't believe it. Chalerm Yubamrung said "80% of the police are corrupt" and the BIB went bananas. What was the Thai phrasing of "Live with it"?

[Jai Dee]

Royal Thai Police must work on restructure methodically

Permanent Secretary for Justice Jarun Pukditanakul indicated that the organizational restructure of the Royal Thai Police must be implemented cautiously in order for the new structure to be sustainable.

Mr. Jarun said the officials are currently studying the restructuring process and gathering more information, and they will then be proposed to the committee for developing police functions. He suggested that the restructuring has to be done soon. However, he believed that the procedures must be carried out carefully, and all aspects need to be considered so that the organizational problems would not recur.

He added that people should not criticize on certain aspects of the police and assume that they are all bad because they would ruin the system. He stated that police officers who have issues should solve or improve them.

The Deputy Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, Pol. Gen. Phatcharavat Wongsuwan, meanwhile, attended the workshop to discuss the development of the Royal Thai Police for the benefits of the public. The workshop is being held today and tomorrow.

He said this workshop will help provide more information for the organizational structure so it would be appropriate and efficient, adding that members of the public can also join this event.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 27 November 2006

[kmart]

The police need a very large pay increase. I'm not sure what the pay of the average cop is at the moment but a few years back it was 5,000baht a month. If you allow someone with a gun unlimited power and then don't pay them enough to live on you're asking for trouble.

I don't disagree but all the evidence from other countries is that low pay is only one of the reasons for corruption, and certainly not the most important.I also think that it's important that police reform should be part of a more general drive on corruption.

I don't think salary scales have much to do with it. Seems like Thai people with any sort of power here just have this sense of entitlement to money and goods that they don't deserve anyway.

A lot of the only discipline; intelligence; and lateral-thinking shown is at the criminal level.

[OlRedEyes]

He added that people should not criticize on certain aspects of the police and assume that they are all bad because they would ruin the system. He stated that police officers who have issues should solve or improve them.

Maybe I need some Chang for this to make much sense to me. Sounds like 'We wanna tinker with it, but not too much'

[Old Man River]

Restructure all you like, they'll still remain self-serving, incompetent, above answering to any authority and mind-bogglingly corrupt.

Yes, but it will be more difficult for one person to gain control over the police force if it is decentralized.

[Thaising]

Do not expect the royal police to give out easily on restructuring, in view of the fact that their personal sideline income will definitely have an effect. That’s why they are fighting so hard to prevent it from bring decentralize and therefore affect their very own personal rank and file interest.

Bottom line $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[hammered]

The move to decentralization is being resisted in many state sectors. It will take a lot of politcal will to force through any decentralization of the police. We shouldnt forget that the previous goverment couldnt get its decentralized education plan implemented, and there is only one party on record that even supports the idea of elected provincial governors.

What police reform wil end up like is anyones guess but decentralization may well not be part of it.

[Francis Maube]

Thai police is not any different than other countries at the same development stage in terms of politics. It took he western world nearly 400 years to come up with a parody of democracy, I do not think it was very pretty in the first 70 years where Thailand is now.

Yes, corruption is widespread but the most effective changes will come from the bottom, not the top and we will long be 6 feet under before it happens.

[younghusband]

Thai police is not any different than other countries at the same development stage in terms of politics. It took he western world nearly 400 years to come up with a parody of democracy, I do not think it was very pretty in the first 70 years where Thailand is now.

Yes, corruption is widespread but the most effective changes will come from the bottom, not the top and we will long be 6 feet under before it happens.

I'm not sure there is a demonstrable link between lack of democracy and corruption.The British police force founded by Sir Robert Peel in the early 19th century wasn't corrupt at a time when democracy was quite fragile.The New York police department was notoriously corrupt in the 1960's and 1970's and it was cleaned up.I further disagree that change will come from the bottom.It will come with courageous political leadership.I really believe this problem can be solved in Thailand, but as part of a more general campaign.

[Tony Clifton]

There's just no excuse, there are thousands of police forces out there to learn from. They simply always loved the way they were until now. Hand them out that traffic laws exam tomorrow morning and you'll get the same or worse result than was published last year.

Pairing with a foreign police force might work and teach them something. Start handing out demotions and pink slips instead of the endless parade of medals and rewards.

[Thaising]

HARD TALK FROM THE NATION

Dire need for a reformed law enforcement agency

Critics of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra were not exaggerating when they described the country under his rule as a "police state".

A former police officer, Thaksin infiltrated the police force with people he trusted and never hesitated to use as a political tool to bear down on his political opponents.

The infamous war on drugs that culminated in the murder of more than 2,500 drug suspects, the crackdowns on the so-called mafias that largely targeted those on the opposite side to the ruling party, and the secret investigation of government critics' assets are just some of the more glaring examples of how the Thaksin administration used the police to maintain obedience and build up political popularity at the same time.

The sudden disappearance of prominent Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelaphaijit in 2004 clearly demonstrates the extent to which the political rulers would go in abusing the law enforcement agency to silence whoever was seen as a threat. Though there are doubts that the real political mastermind behind Somchai's kidnapping and presumed death will ever be brought to justice, there is enough evidence to suggest that such a blatant act would not have been possible without a green light from the highest political level.

When Thaksin was ousted more than two months ago, it was expected that there would be a quick clean-up of the police force to pave the way for a long-term overhaul. But the key police figures who helped Thaksin bolster his police state are still around. Police General Kowit Wattana, the national police commissioner who showed no qualms about being at the politicians' beck and call, not only managed to cling to his post but was also given a free hand by the coup-makers to reshuffle the police force.

An excuse offered by some generals in the all-powerful Council for National Security (CNS) was that maintaining law and order and coping with the so-called "undercurrents" was already a handful for them. Finding fault with the law enforcement agency the size of an army at this juncture would only make things unnecessarily more complicated.

It's understandable that CNS doesn't want to earn the ire of the police when they need all the help they can get to keep Thaksin's grassroots supporters in line. But that doesn't mean the national police chief should be given a blank cheque to run one of the country's most important public security agencies.

What the country badly needs is a new crop of police officers who make no pretence about how corrupt and politicised the police force has been and who have the vision and the courage to push through the much-debated reform of the law enforcement agency. For obvious reasons, the top police echelon has been lukewarm towards the ongoing reform plan adopted by the Surayud government. They probably have more to lose than anybody else.

The reform, which is being studied by a committee headed by Police General Vasit Dejkunchorn, a retired police officer highly regarded for his integrity, and comprising many respectable legal experts, seeks to decentralise the bloated police force and make it more professional and more accountable to the public. But resistance to any change that will affect the status quo is already evident.

Critics of the reform, who include senior police officers, have seized upon one committee member's recommendation that the force in provincial areas be placed under the control of local authorities so that no single police general can exercise absolute control over the huge law and order apparatus as happens today. They know that this is a prospect that will not go down well with members of the police force and which will harden their resistance to the restructuring plan.

This is exactly the kind of distraction that is unnecessary and, if allowed to snowball, may very likely make the task of reforming the police force more difficult. What the Surayud government and the CNS need is a police leadership that is professional and responsible enough to admit to what is wrong in the force and willing to take the hard path of reform. They definitely cannot expect those who exploited or abused the system for personal gain to be serious about making changes.

The challenge facing the reform committee is without a doubt an unenviable one - but one that needs to be overcome if Thailand is to build a society where there is respect for rule of law. Over the years, the police force has been turned into a huge empire in which corruption and the patronage system are heavily entrenched.

As the reform committee goes about restructuring the police force, it must not forget that at the end of the day it's the junior policemen - who do the patrols, conduct investigations and go out tracking criminals - that deserve the most attention. Any reform must seriously take into account the need to improve their working conditions and financial incentives. And these go hand in hand with proper training that not only puts emphasis on the basic duty to "serve and protect", but also on professionalism and ethics.

But it will be no easy task to explain to junior law enforcers why they should not take bribes, abuse their power or make their obligation to serve the people secondary to serving their political masters, when all they see are senior officers who got where they are by doing these very same things.

Members of the Thai police force definitely need to have people they can look up to at the top. Sadly, there aren't many good cops around that can serve as their inspiration.

Thepchai Yong

[Old Man River]

What police reform will end up like is anyones guess but decentralization may well not be part of it.

What you are saying may well be correct, but we are living in a military dictatorship. If they really want to get this done, they can do it.

[Mid]

What police reform will end up like is anyones guess but decentralization may well not be part of it.

What you are saying may well be correct, but we are living in a military dictatorship. If they really want to get this done, they can do it.

True That ...........

looks like a golden opportunity going wasted ........

time to take the correct decisions WITHOUT having to worry about ' face '

nar won't happen .

Edited November 28, 2006 by Mid

[Jai Dee]

Police reform on the agenda

A committee of 28 law enforcement experts is drawing up a proposal on how best to reform the police force. The main questions are: What will be done? And will the actions benefit the country and people - as well as the police force itself?

Police. The word has always had a controversial ring to it, even more so these days. Faced with charges of incompetence - as in the still unresolved case of Bangkok's New Year's Eve blasts - corruption and violation of human rights, among others, the police force has now been targeted for reform, which Prime Minister Surayud promises will be done before his term ends.

More from the Bangkok Post here.

[Jai Dee]

UN called in to help fix Thai police

Specialists to draw up roadmap for reform

The United Nations will send experts to Thailand to help the government reform the police force. Kittipong Kittiyarak, secretary-general of the committee on police reform, said the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) will send four specialists to Thailand to conduct a workshop and seminar on police reform in March.

More from the Bangkok Post here.

[kmart]

What it basically boils down to is that Thailand's 'police force' is basically a giant crime syndicate, that only punishes criminals that are not in cahoots with it. It is just the army of the rich and powerful, and does very little to help the average Thai citizen. Thai people always get what they deserve in this respect; good people do nothing and allow this to happen.

This is engrained in the national mindset of this institution, and unless the actual people of Thailand try to make a difference, I believe nothing will ever change. You will have to break the ricebowls and lifestyles of some very powerful people to overcome this.

Ditto armed forces.

[george]

Pol Gen Seripisut replaces Kowit as police super boss

BANGKOK: -- Pol Gen Kowit Watana is dismissed as police commissioner general on Monday and be transferred to the PM's Office, about a month after series of bomb attacks rocked Bangkok and suburbs.

Prime Minister Surayudh Chulanont signed the order on Monday and appointed Pol Gen Seripisut Temiyavet, an advisor to the police department as acting police chief.

The order took immediate effect.

Many have called for the government to sack Kowit after he and his department failed to provide safety for the people. Moreover police still failed to find culprits who involved in the bomb attacks that killed three people and injured many others.

The calls to oust Kowit were intensified following bomb attack at the Daily News newspaper and nearby hotel. No one was arrested.

Kowit was said to have close connection with ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

-- The Nation 2007-02-05

[george]

Thai PM sacks national police chief

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont on Monday dismissed the country's national police chief, following a snail's-paced investigation into the deadly New Year's Eve bombings in Bangkok.

The prime minister signed an order transferring Pol. Gen. Kowit Wattana to an inactive post at the Prime Minister's Office, effective immediately.

Pressures on the police chief mounted as police investigators were seen as having made little progress in solving the nine bombings in Bangkok and nearby Nonthaburi on December 31, which killed three and wounded 42 others, including nine foreigners, a situation only made worse by last week's high-profile twin grenade incidents at a major Thai-language newspaper headquarters and a nearby hotel in the capital.

Prime Minister Surayud and the country's military leaders had earlier warned that Gen. Kowit would be held accountable for the police investigation into the New Year's Eve deadly bombings.

Nineteen suspects were earlier detained for questioning in connection with the coordinated blasts, but all were released later because of lack of evidence, amid criticisms that those arrested were simply scapegoats.

Gen Kowit has been replaced by Pol. Gen. Sereepisuth Taemeeyaves, an adviser to the Royal Police Bureau, who is now acting police chief until a permanent successor is named.

Gen. Sereepisuth told Modernine Television that the investigation of the New Year's Eve bombings and school arson attacks in many provinces are among other urgent tasks that needed to be tackled immediately.

The deposed-premier, a police lieutenant-colonel, is perceived by some critics as having used his five years in office to replace meritocracy with officers personally loyal to his rule.

--TNA 2007-02-05