PHUKET: Crime on Phuket has gone down in the past five years, the Deputy Commander of Phuket Police, Colonel Peerayut Karajedee, said today.
''Not only that,'' he said, ''we catch more of the perpetrators these days because of better data bases and security cameras.''
He said that in many ways, having a low ratio of officers to residents and tourists had proved to be a positive.
''We can always use more police officers,'' he said. ''But it's quite surprising how well we do with the number we have.''
Phuket has just 1100 officers for an island with a population that ranges as high as one million in some high season months.
The surprising ratio was commented on today by Special Colonel Ngo Minh Chau, who came to learn from Phuket police as part of a delegation from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
He met with Colonel Peerayut, Phuket Police Commander Major General Chote Chawanwiwat and other officers to exchange ideas at Phuket Provincial Police Headquarters in Phuket City.
The colonel said he was very interested in the ''1000 eyes of the pineapple'' concept of involving residents in basic police work.
The idea had been adapted in each of the six areas that constituted the Patong Safety Zone, a concept that will be used across the whole of Phuket and then the whole of Thailand.
''We chose Phuket for this visit because we wanted to learn from a prime holiday destination,'' Colonel Ngo Minh Chau said.
When asked whether he was concerned about the deaths in Vietnam of tourists American Kari Bowerman, 27, and Canadian Cathy Huynh, 26, in a mystery that mirrors the deaths of Canadian sisters Audrey and Noemi Belanger on Phi Phi, the colonel said the case wasn't his area.
The colonel aims to try to find time for a swim at Patong this afternoon.
''Not only that,'' he said, ''we catch more of the perpetrators these days because of better data bases and security cameras.''
He said that in many ways, having a low ratio of officers to residents and tourists had proved to be a positive.
''We can always use more police officers,'' he said. ''But it's quite surprising how well we do with the number we have.''
Phuket has just 1100 officers for an island with a population that ranges as high as one million in some high season months.
The surprising ratio was commented on today by Special Colonel Ngo Minh Chau, who came to learn from Phuket police as part of a delegation from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
He met with Colonel Peerayut, Phuket Police Commander Major General Chote Chawanwiwat and other officers to exchange ideas at Phuket Provincial Police Headquarters in Phuket City.
The colonel said he was very interested in the ''1000 eyes of the pineapple'' concept of involving residents in basic police work.
The idea had been adapted in each of the six areas that constituted the Patong Safety Zone, a concept that will be used across the whole of Phuket and then the whole of Thailand.
''We chose Phuket for this visit because we wanted to learn from a prime holiday destination,'' Colonel Ngo Minh Chau said.
When asked whether he was concerned about the deaths in Vietnam of tourists American Kari Bowerman, 27, and Canadian Cathy Huynh, 26, in a mystery that mirrors the deaths of Canadian sisters Audrey and Noemi Belanger on Phi Phi, the colonel said the case wasn't his area.
The colonel aims to try to find time for a swim at Patong this afternoon.
Sounds good in statistics, but traffic stats and drowning stats are not reported at all for now, or just from some local hospitals. So how much is reported in crime stats? Has the bar for petty and serious crimes been lowered or even higher at this time?
Posted by HeppHepp on October 24, 2012 18:18
Editor Comment:
All good points, and we'd really like to see TRANSPARENCY become part of the equation more regularly on Phuket. Compiling and posting updated statistics would be the first sign of Phuket becoming genuinely international.