Reform of national police force closer
The much-awaited reform of the Royal Thai Police is closer to reality now that the junta-installed National Reform Council (NRC) has approved the establishment of a so-called National Police Affairs Council, which will oversee the entire force.
This independent body will be composed of members from outside agencies, including judicial and human-rights personnel, along with a supervisory panel consisting of members of Parliament and senators, as per a proposal put forward this week by NRC panel spokesman Wanchai Sornsiri.
It has also been proposed that the police force be decentralised, with precincts being run by provincial and local authorities, while units with nationwide authority be assigned to relevant state agencies, such as the Tourism Police being put under the Tourism and Sports Ministry.
The powerful Police Commission, which handles and approves reshuffles within the police force while also making policies and giving directions to the Royal Thai Police, will also be abolished.
The 11-member Police Commission, chaired by the prime minister, will become a new nine-member operative body under guidelines issued by the military’s ruling National Council for Peace and Order.
Two new members will be added to the commission – a deputy prime minister hand-picked by Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha and the permanent secretary of the Defence Ministry – a move that many policemen see as intervention by the military. The junta expects these choices to apply in future governments as well.
The 22-member National Police Policy Board, which makes policies, directs police-related strategies and appoints members of the Police Commission, will now become a new 13-member body comprising several experts, two of whom will be picked by the Senate.
Breaking chain of command
Also, the chain of command in the national police bureau, running from the top to divisions, sub-divisions and police stations, will be gone and replaced by units such as central command, the provincial headquarters and police departments under local administrative bodies.
Introducing organisational changes in police authority and jurisdiction is not new, but one on a national scale with sweeping changes followed by reform is almost unheard of in Thailand.
However, the plan to decentralise national police is raising concerns about the possibility of local police departments being influenced by local politicians – which will create a new type of power monopoly as those in charge can use the police to further strengthen their authority.
At the national level, similar questions are being raised about how the National Police Affairs Council can ensure that it will not come under political control and influence from politicians once the government changes.
Recent surveys of police officers showed that many of them were fine with units being supervised by relevant civilian agencies, such as the Railway Police being put under the jurisdiction of the State Railway of Thailand.
The Metropolitan Police Bureau handed over the job of keeping streets tidy to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration more than a decade ago, and the Police Fire Division did the same in terms of fire, public safety and rescue operation in recent years.
Meanwhile, Tourism Police chief Pol Maj-General Aphichai Thi-armart warned that the real job of the police force should not be lost in the changes, proposing that the police should remain in charge of making arrests and conducting investigations. However, he conceded that it would be advantageous if the new set-up resulted in direct and better coordination between police units and their supervisory bodies.
