Police Volunteers

[Gaybutton]

Has anyone who reads the local media noticed that there seems to be more and more crime, along with taking advantage of the situation, perpetrated by police volunteers? Sometimes these crimes, usually some sort of a shakedown, are committed by people impersonating the volunteers, but just as often it turns out to be the legitimately trained volunteers themselves.

 

I have no idea what powers and authority police volunteers actually possess, even if they hold actual documentation that shows them to be a bona fide police volunteer.

 

Most of the articles I read about the police volunteers who turned to the dark side of the force are about them preying on other Thais, but often enough I also see articles about them preying on "farang."

 

I also have no idea just how many police volunteers there are or what authority they have over "farang." What I do know is that if someone identifying himself as a police volunteer ever tries to get so much as one baht out of me, then my response will be to call the police and ask that an actual officer be sent to confirm whatever it is that is going on.

 

I often see articles about police volunteers and/or police volunteer impersonators doing things such as trying to coerce bars into giving them free drinks or trying to shake down a motorcyclist into giving him money. But lately I've also read articles in which some of these volunteers have been involved in much more serious crimes. There was even a police volunteer involved in the murder of Earwig's friend a few weeks ago, according to the articles I saw.

 

Just who are these people? How many are there? What kind of training and licensing do they receive? What authority do they have? Are there any female police volunteers? The only ones I ever read about are male. What are the "farang's" obligations to comply? How do we know whether someone claiming to be a police volunteer really is one? What are we supposed to do if we have any reason to suspect that something illegal is actually going on?

 

So far I have never experienced any kind of problems whatsoever with anyone claiming to be a police volunteer, but with the crime in Pattaya constantly on the increase I'd be extremely skeptical if anyone ever stops me and tells me he is a police volunteer, whether he shows me an ID badge or not.

 

I don't have any answers to the questions I posed above. Does anyone out there have any further information or know where to get further information?

[Guest wowpow]

Updated: [August 29, 2007 ] :: 17:20:16 [view 317] Pattaya Daily News

RAID ON KARAOKE BARS NETS ROWDY VOUNTEER POLICE IMPERSONATING OFFICERS

Pattaya police, accompanied by an assistant district officer, were shocked to find volunteer police flaunting their power as plain clothes officers at karaoke bars.

 

"At the same time, a group of administrative officers was checking the Haak Pahk Restaurant, located behind the group of karaoke bars that was being inspected. The officers encountered three men who claimed that they were plain clothes officers. One of them purported to be a police lieutenant, while the others reportedly claimed to be well acquainted with the inspector and the investigator who were on duty. The three men requested that the administrative officers leave and that they would deal, directly, with the police. 

 

When Police Colonel Suthin Sabphueng, the Superintendent and Police Major Chaigrit Thong-Inn the Investigator were told about the three men, they rushed to the restaurant to investigate; but only found one man, who was attempting to escape in his car. However, the police managed to detain him. The man, Mr. Prasert Wongsa (41), from Lopburi appeared to be drunk. The police searched his shoulder bag and found a radio, as well as, a Pattaya Volunteer Police ID card, with his personal code, “Choon Chon Roi 323.” A search of his car did not result in any contraband items. Mr. Prasert said that he and his friends were just drinking and enjoying themselves and had the right to carry their Volunteer Police ID cards and the radio. However, the administrative officers asserted that the three men had behaved and acted as if they were police officers.

 

The police confiscated Mr. Prasert’s Volunteer Police ID card and the radio and discharged him from the Volunteer Police. Mr. Prasert was taken to the police station for further investigation."

 

This is an extract, full story

http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000003723

 

 

[Guest wowpow]

A Thai friend of mine is a Volunteer Tourist Policeman and patrols Walking Street on Sunday evenings. They also get involved in rounding up illegal foreign workers and prostitutes. He did go through quite a few hours training both physical and theory. There are about 350 Volunteer Tourist Policemen in Pattaya and the have recruitment drives occasionally. Members include farangs and a very few women (how many women police does one see in Thailand? very few). I think that in the main they do a useful job and don't get much bad publicity though there is some. They are unpaid and have to buy their own tailored uniforms, walkie-talkie and equipment. Seemingly it gives you quite a lot of 'face' Most of the time on patrol they walk up and down the street and help tourists with directions and to find their hotels - often newly arrived tourists go out and get drunk and don't know the name of their hotel or the street that it is in. He gets lots of photographs taken with tourists.

 

 

I also read quite a bit about naughty Volunteer Policemen and see that they even have Volunteer Immigration people at the Pattaya Office.

 

The selection, background checks, supervision and training could be a lot better but I have not read of any of them extorting money.

 

So there is some very sketchy information about these people. Now who are the "Administration Officers" mentioned in the newspaper report?

 

The situation seems fairly standard for Thailand, give out little clear information, keep changing the rules.

[Gaybutton]

Don't assume they are all necessarily uniformed. For example, a number of motorcycle taxi drivers are legitimate police volunteers and carry police transceivers. I know that for a fact. About a year ago I had a problem at my house and I called the police. The first to arrive on the scene were a couple of motorcycle taxi driver police volunteers, followed a few minutes later by uniformed police officers. All of them were legitimate and the taxi drivers were dressed as taxi drivers.