How do we police the police?

Thailand is facing a unique challenge of bringing police – who are at the frontlines of the judicial system – to justice.

It may sound odd that it is difficult to make those who uphold the law accountable for breaking it, but in Thailand this is the case.

Recent scandals have shamed Thai police officers and startled the world, but international news outlets have not reported widely on these scandals – yet.

Perhaps Thai diplomats have done a good job at protecting the country’s image. But how long can this last? More international news about police scandals in Thailand may undermine economic growth sooner than we think.

I was rather perplexed to learn that a Taiwanese actress and her friends had a run in with rogue police officers while enjoying a visit to Thailand. The police demanded bribes and seemed to invent charges for the purpose of extortion. This particular scandal may have been resolved because I have not read much about it lately.

The police as well as many other governmental agencies act as though scandals reported in news eventually go away. If you play it down or do not keep it moving, the scandal will soon subside.

This mentality and tactic destroys our national reputation and trustworthiness.

I have been frequently asked by many foreign friends why several scandalous news reports disappear from the front page and the scrutiny of the public. I tell them that the scandals are still under police supervision and they want things to remain silent for their own sake.

This is very different from how police operate in some other countries where laws control what they do and their own ethics keep them focused on what they are assigned to do – uphold the law.

That is why we recently heard about an effort by police in the United Kingdom to bring the remains of a young Thai girl – "the lady of the highlands" – back to her home in Udon Thani decades after her death. There has never been a case in which Thai police have done this. Perhaps, they are too busy with unofficial jobs, like guarding pubs and gold shops, or running their own illegal businesses.

Recent allegations that a Commander in Region 2 swooped in to help reshuffle a suspect from being jailed have not been followed up in the news. Reporting on cases of several shadowy Chinese tycoons and online gambling dens has also gone with the wind—not to mention the case of red bull’s son (Boss Yoowithaya).

We do not know the whereabouts of "Inspector Sua" who is believed to be incredibly wealthy, with several homes as well as money stashed abroad. He is the founder of many unaccredited foundations and owned several online gambling websites. Many people have said he had multiple nationalities and passports ready for an escape for quite some time. Some police are regularly accused of being womanisers. They often have several wives and prey on ordinary women for fun—this was discovered by interviewing some young teenagers in my research.

There were many indecent things I could not accept in the police force. When I taught at the Police Cadet Academy for years, most students were too tired to study and fell asleep in classes. The police almost always concealed their mistakes and lured others into improper action by saying such conduct is universal and may even be worse in politics.

I agree that our country might be called "the safe haven for corrupt practices". Otherwise, we could have built a road of gold!

Honestly, our only option left for police reform is to clean up the police force from top to bottom. This is the only way to improve policing. I need two years to end this heinous situation if allowed.

We do not need more reform plans or other strategies. We’ve tried this several times before the scandal flare up shore. We’ve launched commissions to reform the police. Nothing has changed. I actually discovered these dirty accounts while writing my thesis 20 years ago!

The Black Lives Matter movement could be considered another option, but the demand to "de-police" might be too extreme. I propose reorganising personnel according to their individual performance. Those who prefer to remain in power must reapply, be interviewed, or pass a new recruitment process. I used to propose variations of these ideas when I was a police reform commissioner, but they failed to sell at the topmost level.

Now, it is time to get it right for the sake of our nation. Police overhaul is at a crossroads. It is now or never.

The phrase "police by consent" is the key to persuading people to obey the law and cooperate with the police. How can a Thai general officer respond to an ordinary query from a young news reporter by asking her if she understands when it is time for a woman to marry a man? What is wrong with him for saying such an intimate answer? Come on guys!

Some police officers may think they are smarter or better than others, but no one else does.

An often quoted Thai proverb says to beware of four professions: railmen, boat conductors, comedians, and police. This is because they believed to be untreatable! 

The police seem keen to continue old-fashioned methods or the "hide and seek" way of doing things. As long as you keep things secret, no one knows what is going on, but when outsiders discover they can take action.

We really lack a few good men in the police force. Many say there are plenty of good policemen, but in my own experience – including decades of research – this is not true.

Bad cops are still the majority, though a few decent people are on the force. Some of my young police officers once said many senior police’s sons or those in power’s relatives in the force enjoyed working with a lumpsum and multiplying their workload by putting their names in the deep south operation but they had never been there so they did not risk their lives in comparison to those who lacked of connection and influences. Thai is the reason why I am afraid of misleading readers by using the term "good policemen". It’s a badge of dishonour.

Amorn Wanichwiwatana, DPhil (Oxon), is a former member of the Constitution Drafting Commission and a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University.