POLICE volunteers are being used in greater numbers to boost security on Phuket, the Chief of Police, Major General Apirat Hongtong, said today.
New senior officers will arrive next week and a new police station is coming in 2009, Major General Apirat said.
He told Phuketwan that 60 volunteers were now being deployed in small groups of eight on a daily basis between 3am and sunrise to check neigborhoods on foot.
The volunteers, equipped with a torch, a wooden staff and a two-way radio, check for signs of trouble in Phuket City, Rawai, Kata, Karon, Patong and other communities.
Major General Apirat said that the volunteer system was working well and helping the island, with its small force of regular police, to cope.
The system is likely to be expanded, with support from the Orborjor coming in a budget of 2.5 million baht.
Another 55 regular police graduates are due to join the Phuket force in February, just in time for the surge in criminal activity that can be expected as the effects of a severe downturn in tourism bite home.
In a wide-ranging interview, here is what Major General Apirat had to say on a variety of issues:
New Police Station: The site has been chosen for a new police station in Karon, with a budget for the building and equipment set aside by Karon Tessaban to have the station completed in 2009. The deal was signed off on Thursday evening. ''We need the help of every Tessaban to improve policing on the island,'' Major General Apirat said. ''We do not have a budget big enough to purchase everything we need.'' Next week he will be talking to resort managements in Karon about ways they might be able to help.
New Senior Police: Next Monday, several new senior police are arriving on the island to replace existing officers. Their arrival signals efforts by Major General Apirat to improve standards and encourage greater coordination and activity among all police on the island. The officers will be men who agree with and support Major Apirat's initiatives.
The Housepainter Rapists: Police have arrested a pair of robber-rapists who chose their victims at 7-Elevens and other convenience stores in the Thalang region. The sting worked this way: one man in the shop would see a woman with money or gold jewellery.
When she left the store, he would join his accomplice in a pickup and follow her. In a quiet soi, they would knock her off the motorcycle in a mock ''accident'', offer to take her to hospital, and instead rape her in the cab of the pickup, taking all her cash and valuables.
At least four women were victims to the men, who were sometimes accompanied by a third robber-rapist. Police labelled them the Housepainter Gang, because that was their work. The third man is still being pursued. Police believe CCTV, which helped them catch two of the gang, is an effective tool in tracking criminals of this kind.
Wanted: 500 CCTVs Police now have 40 CCTVs on the island and would like this number to be boosted to 500. But a big improvement was needed in quality because some of the present cameras were broken or of poor quality, providing inadequate images. The images are monitored at Phuket City police station.
Drugs on Buses: Some drugs are still being smuggled to Phuket by road because police are unable to check every single bag on every bus. However, they are now considering the use of sniffer dogs to enhance the existing random checks.
One smuggler caught in a random check said he had been lucky on previous occasions. A bag-scanning system at the checkpoint would be ideal but too expensive at present.
Guns On The Island: Police have discovered more than 30 firearms being brought to Phuket since Major General Apirat was given the task of overseeing the Tachatchai checkpoint.
He said these guns were all being looked at by forensic police to see if they had been used in crimes.
People can obtain licenses to have firearms for security, but not to carry them outside an office or home.
Big knives had also been confiscated in increasing numbers at the checkpoint.
People Smuggling: Illegal labor, mostly from Burma, was now being smuggled to Phuket by sea, to destinations at small docks along the east coast of Phuket, the major general said. Not so many Burmese were coming because fewer workers were needed as the property development market turned downwards.
The illegal immigrants are usually held overnight by Immigration police, then deported on trucks to the border with Burma the next day.
Bicycle Patrols: Five bicycles are now being used by police around Kata-Karon to test their efficiency. Patrols of this kind have helped to make the police presence more obvious in Western cities
If the experiment is considered successful, more bicycles and scooters could be used by police all over the island.
Crime Wave: Asked about the potential for crime to increase in an economic downturn in 2009, Major General Apirat said he needed the three Ms to guard against that happening: Men, Management and Money. He said he still believed ''Zero Crime'' was possible on Phuket, but only with adequate police.
Bag Snatchers: Major General Apirat does not believe that motorcycle snatch gangs who steal bags and jewellery on the move specifically target expats. He said there were plenty of cases where Thais, especially women, had been victims, too.
New Police HQ: Building of the island's new police headquarters in Yaowarat Road, Phuket City, is largely complete and fitting out is now taking place. The new HQ should open sometime in January 2009, Major General Apirat said.
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New senior officers will arrive next week and a new police station is coming in 2009, Major General Apirat said.
He told Phuketwan that 60 volunteers were now being deployed in small groups of eight on a daily basis between 3am and sunrise to check neigborhoods on foot.
The volunteers, equipped with a torch, a wooden staff and a two-way radio, check for signs of trouble in Phuket City, Rawai, Kata, Karon, Patong and other communities.
Major General Apirat said that the volunteer system was working well and helping the island, with its small force of regular police, to cope.
The system is likely to be expanded, with support from the Orborjor coming in a budget of 2.5 million baht.
Another 55 regular police graduates are due to join the Phuket force in February, just in time for the surge in criminal activity that can be expected as the effects of a severe downturn in tourism bite home.
In a wide-ranging interview, here is what Major General Apirat had to say on a variety of issues:
New Police Station: The site has been chosen for a new police station in Karon, with a budget for the building and equipment set aside by Karon Tessaban to have the station completed in 2009. The deal was signed off on Thursday evening. ''We need the help of every Tessaban to improve policing on the island,'' Major General Apirat said. ''We do not have a budget big enough to purchase everything we need.'' Next week he will be talking to resort managements in Karon about ways they might be able to help.
New Senior Police: Next Monday, several new senior police are arriving on the island to replace existing officers. Their arrival signals efforts by Major General Apirat to improve standards and encourage greater coordination and activity among all police on the island. The officers will be men who agree with and support Major Apirat's initiatives.
The Housepainter Rapists: Police have arrested a pair of robber-rapists who chose their victims at 7-Elevens and other convenience stores in the Thalang region. The sting worked this way: one man in the shop would see a woman with money or gold jewellery.
When she left the store, he would join his accomplice in a pickup and follow her. In a quiet soi, they would knock her off the motorcycle in a mock ''accident'', offer to take her to hospital, and instead rape her in the cab of the pickup, taking all her cash and valuables.
At least four women were victims to the men, who were sometimes accompanied by a third robber-rapist. Police labelled them the Housepainter Gang, because that was their work. The third man is still being pursued. Police believe CCTV, which helped them catch two of the gang, is an effective tool in tracking criminals of this kind.
Wanted: 500 CCTVs Police now have 40 CCTVs on the island and would like this number to be boosted to 500. But a big improvement was needed in quality because some of the present cameras were broken or of poor quality, providing inadequate images. The images are monitored at Phuket City police station.
Drugs on Buses: Some drugs are still being smuggled to Phuket by road because police are unable to check every single bag on every bus. However, they are now considering the use of sniffer dogs to enhance the existing random checks.
One smuggler caught in a random check said he had been lucky on previous occasions. A bag-scanning system at the checkpoint would be ideal but too expensive at present.
Guns On The Island: Police have discovered more than 30 firearms being brought to Phuket since Major General Apirat was given the task of overseeing the Tachatchai checkpoint.
He said these guns were all being looked at by forensic police to see if they had been used in crimes.
People can obtain licenses to have firearms for security, but not to carry them outside an office or home.
Big knives had also been confiscated in increasing numbers at the checkpoint.
People Smuggling: Illegal labor, mostly from Burma, was now being smuggled to Phuket by sea, to destinations at small docks along the east coast of Phuket, the major general said. Not so many Burmese were coming because fewer workers were needed as the property development market turned downwards.
The illegal immigrants are usually held overnight by Immigration police, then deported on trucks to the border with Burma the next day.
Bicycle Patrols: Five bicycles are now being used by police around Kata-Karon to test their efficiency. Patrols of this kind have helped to make the police presence more obvious in Western cities
If the experiment is considered successful, more bicycles and scooters could be used by police all over the island.
Crime Wave: Asked about the potential for crime to increase in an economic downturn in 2009, Major General Apirat said he needed the three Ms to guard against that happening: Men, Management and Money. He said he still believed ''Zero Crime'' was possible on Phuket, but only with adequate police.
Bag Snatchers: Major General Apirat does not believe that motorcycle snatch gangs who steal bags and jewellery on the move specifically target expats. He said there were plenty of cases where Thais, especially women, had been victims, too.
New Police HQ: Building of the island's new police headquarters in Yaowarat Road, Phuket City, is largely complete and fitting out is now taking place. The new HQ should open sometime in January 2009, Major General Apirat said.
Comeback Police Chief Promises Crime Free Phuket
End crime on Phuket? It's a bold thing to say but Phuket's new police chief knows the island and says he tamed crime in the province of Ranong in just six months.
Comeback Police Chief Promises Crime Free Phuket
