I’m sure that hardly any of us have never had a laugh or two about the Thai police force. Perhaps for their ineptitude or the willingness to accept a few baht and let us off a more serious offence. At the same time many of us have been grateful to them for their benevolent attitude.
The media are very quick to pounce on a story about corruption, even on a minor scale. But are we being really fair to the poor, average over-worked bobby? Many people are unaware of just how poorly-paid your average police officer is.
They want to marry and have families like everyone else but it is certainly very difficult for them, given their low salaries.
An article was written last year which gave an in-depth view of a policeman’s life in Thailand. The Buriram Times are going to print the article in installments, due to its length. Maybe, it will leave people having a little more sympathy, if not understanding of the Royal Thai Police.
Scarcely a day goes by that doesn’t see allegations of corruption, laziness, incompetence or other criticism levelled by the media at the Royal Thai Police (RTP), especially in local and international English-language outlets.
While Thai-language newspapers, television, magazines and websites are somewhat more balanced, the overall negative coverage contributes to a prevailing opinion that Thai police have a soft job and are mainly occupied with feathering their own nests. But anyone who takes the time to sit down and talk to some of them soon realizes this is unfair.
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No other government agency has to contend with anything like the barrage of negative pressthat descends on the police on an almost daily basis. We are constantly reminded of bribe-taking by police, but it’s worth remembering that for the average cop this amounts to small sums from motorists in lieu of a traffic ticket. And often it is the motorists who are most eager to make a cash deal on the spot to avoid the inconvenience of having their driving license confiscated and going to the police station to pay a fine.
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A police officer’s job places him or her in the centre of surroundings and situations that most people would do anything to avoid. Whenever there is a robbery, assault, shooting, bombing or other violent crime people always look first to the police to find the perpetrators and restore order. They are also on the scene of traffic accidents and disasters such as fires and floods, and they are called on to settle family disputes and even to remove snakes from residences.
But stories that look deeply into the lives and working conditions of ordinary police officers rarely appear in the media unless it is to report on a tragic event like the alleged suicide of Police Captain Tawee Meunrak. The policeman attached to Thung Song Hong police station is believed to have shot himself on January 29 because of work-related stress. Before people take aim from the comfort and safety of their homes at the men and women patrolling Thailand’s meanest streets, they should pause to consider whether their criticism is really warranted.
Police live with the knowledge that every time they put on their uniforms they may be killed or injured in the act of chasing or arresting criminals. Adding to the pressure are rising crime rates brought on by tough economic times which also make the perpetrators more desperate. What’s more, in many cases criminals are well armed and willing to resist and fight the police. One former senior police officer attached to the Pathum Thani provincial police said that these days drug traffickers and other hard-core criminals often bring out not only handguns but assault rifles in their confrontations with police.
Contacts with law-abiding citizens can take a toll as well. Police are on the scene at the thousands of grisly traffic accidents that occur each year in Thailand. They draw up reports and sometimes take photos of injured and deceased motorists, motorcyclists and pedestrians. They also take charge of the grim business of investigating suicides and overseeing the collection of the bodies.
At the end of a day filled with such activities, they still have to attend to paperwork and other assorted duties. This means they almost invariably work long hours, and without overtime. There is no increase in pay rate for working nights, weekends or holidays, and a police officer must be prepared to answer the call of duty at any time, 24/7. How many factory and office workers, not to mention company executives or journalists, would take a job like that?