Midweek Rant: Police and the press – time for more professionalism

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Midweek Rant: Police and the press – time for more professionalism

 

File photo: Manager

 

Professionalism and the police. Hardly two words that fit like a glove.

 

The same could be said of the press.

 

But throw the two together and any semblance of professionalism just seems to go out the window – what we are left with is rather pathetic.

 

Many police officers – some of them very senior – see meeting the press as a possibility for self- promotion rather than any service to the public who are after all their paymasters.

 

Recent extravaganzas like the arrest of suspects in the karaoke girl’s murder produced a government backlash – but like countless police crackdowns are we to believe that anything will ever last more than five minutes in Thailand.

 

Appearing this week at the press conference for the woman charged with assaulting a man she met on Facebook was none other than metropolitan chief Sanit Mahathavorn.

 

Was it really necessary for the chief of police to get embroiled in this unseemly soap opera?

 

Yes, it is in the public eye but does the chief believe that he comes out smelling of roses for being at the station to lead the investigation?

 

Should he not be doing more important things – and seen to be doing more important things?

 

And what does it say of the confidence he has, or does not have, in the ability of his underlings to do their jobs?

 

Surely a good boss delegates tasks to employees and handles the vital roles.

 

Adopting more of a seemly attitude at press conferences would go some way to improving the image of the police.

 

If they care about that, that is.

 

Khun Sanit needs to set the tone and take the lead. Over the last year he has popped up everywhere getting involved in some puerile stunts, even by Thai standards.

 

And other senior officers have seemed to take their lead from this.

 

Perhaps he could work on a code of conduct for those under his control for press conferences. That would be the kind of leadership that might stop critics calling them the Keystone Kops.

 

But there is much more than the top brass showing a lack of professional leadership.

 

Last year the prime minister ordered for suspects to stop being paraded.

 

Some stations heeded this for a week or two. Others just ignored it until it was all conveniently forgotten.

 

Once again police promotion took precedence over the rights of the accused.

 

Even when admissions are made have the police never heard of people retracting confessions?

 

Edicts were also made about the reenactments that are so popular in Thailand.

 

These were to stop forthwith.

 

These continue unabated it seems – how many times do we see that 100 army and police personnel were needed to protect the suspect from angry villagers as he brandished his toy gun or pretended to rape a stuffed toy.

 

Is it really necessary to have the accused act this out as part of the confession process?

 

Is the force so scared of adverse comment that they can’t take statements and follow procedures aware from the public’s lurid glare?

 

Again, it is unseemly and gives so much ammunition to those who scream banana republic and third world when it comes to the antics of police and what passes for the justice system.

 

Deploying all those men to protect suspects is such a waste. Would they not be better employed doing something useful…..like catching a few more criminals?

 

Then we have the antics of the media at these press conferences.

 

The force seems to connive with them to give the baying public what they want. Who cares about truth – that might get in the way of a good story, it seems.

 

The press prints ream after ream of details about which officer was on the scene, the names of every sergeant and captain, constable and lieutenant involved.

 

Sure, it probably eases the working relationship with the force to drop their names every five minutes.

 

But would it not be better if they came up with some questions that the public are asking. And if they did and got fobbed off then ask them again.

 

To get some answers.

 

Like reporters are supposed to do in the public interest.

 

Above all stop treating police stations, investigations and arrests as a soap opera. As something you might see from a teenager on Facebook.

 

Show some professionalism in your jobs and you might garner a bit more respect.

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-07-05

[DuiDui48]

Agree 110%...

 

Have a good day everyone ;-)

Edited July 5, 2017 by DuiDui48

[williamgeorgeallen]

46 minutes ago, DuiDui48 said:

Agree 110%...

 

Have a good day everyone ;-)

agree all you want but nothing is going to change. even the all power full general with magical 44 powers has not even bothered trying.

[hansnl]

May one hope this article will get some attention here and there?

And may one hope someone will do something to change the antics of the police and the press?

Thailand is so busy and drenched with "face", maybe someone might tell the police their antics have stripped them of any "face", and what is more any honour.

The press?

Oh well........

[zyphodb]

And Pigs will fly...

        A very overused idiom but one eminently suited to the goings on in Thailand.....

[Classic Ray]

A lot of people I encounter in everyday life here are seriously emotionally underdeveloped, with distorted views of right and wrong and inability to make or receive critical judgments.

 

There is no reason to believe the police, who reflect the society in which they "serve", are any different. In fact, that profession may attract more than its fair share of sufferers.

[clockman]

The whole country is a soap opera!

[Stargeezr]

Thanks for the story Rooster,  I just hope that it is read by the top of the Tai government, and the

top of the police force as well, or it is just more words that were printed on this forum, that were

enjoyed by us readers and commenters, but will not change anything in Thailand. I am ever

optimistic that some day in the future, Thailand will slowly change for the better, meanwhile I

keep my sanity alive by reading your stories and articles in this popular forum

Thanks

Geezer