Thailand targets transnational crime with SHIELD and AI tourist safety push
Thailand is upgrading its SHIELD big-data platform and AI-powered IBOC system to tackle call-centre scams, human trafficking, cybercrime and security risks in tourist areas, with Koh Samet chosen as a Smart Safety Zone pilot.
- Thailand has launched a big-data platform named SHIELD to combat transnational crime by connecting databases, digital evidence, and financial trails to track and dismantle criminal networks.
- To enhance tourist safety, an AI-powered system called the Intelligent Bird Eye Operation Centre (IBOC) is being deployed for real-time monitoring and incident response in major tourist destinations.
- The island of Koh Samet has been selected as the pilot location for a "Smart Safety Zone" utilizing the new AI technology, with plans to expand the model to other key areas.
- The two initiatives work together as a comprehensive security strategy: SHIELD serves as the intelligence "brain" for tracking crime, while the AI system acts as the "eyes and ears" for on-the-ground safety.
The government has unveiled a new security strategy aimed at strengthening protection for Thai citizens and foreign visitors, while stepping up action against transnational crime, call-centre gangs, human trafficking networks and online cyber threats.
The Prime Minister has instructed all relevant agencies to integrate their work under a unified approach guided by the principles of “relieving hardship, improving public welfare, protecting public peace, eradicating drugs and defeating criminal gangs”.
The policy is intended to strengthen national security across all dimensions.
SHIELD big-data platform to track cross-border crime and financial trails
Government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek explained that modern crime has evolved into complex cross-border networks, forcing the government to upgrade its technological tools and international cooperation mechanisms to keep pace.
The Royal Thai Police has therefore pushed forward the SCAM & Human Trafficking Information Exchange and Linked Database, known as SHIELD, as a key tool. The system has attracted strong international interest as a central platform for exchanging crime-related information.
SHIELD will connect large databases, digital evidence and international financial trails, allowing officers to investigate suspects, track offenders, dismantle criminal networks at their source and pursue legal action more quickly and effectively.
She added that the system is also designed to close legal loopholes that transnational criminal syndicates have previously exploited to evade law enforcement.
SHIELD builds on the work of the Warroom IAC, or International Anti-Scam and Human Trafficking Syndicate Command Centre, and the Royal Thai Police’s Anti-Cyber Scam Centre, or ACSC.
These operations form part of a wider ecosystem involving the Royal Thai Police, commercial banks, the Anti-Money Laundering Office, the Department of Special Investigation, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Their work focuses on tracing money flows, freezing mule accounts and assisting victims quickly.
AI to support IBOC as Koh Samet becomes Smart Safety Zone pilot
For physical security and real-time monitoring, Rachada said the government is also introducing artificial intelligence through the Intelligent Bird Eye Operation Centre, or IBOC. The system will be used to detect irregularities, scan for risky behaviour and respond quickly to incidents in economic zones and major tourist destinations.
Koh Samet has been selected as the pilot area for the development of a Smart Safety Zone, supporting safety management for more than one million visitors a year.
The government plans to assess the results before expanding the model to other tourist destinations and key locations across Thailand.
“The government believes that tackling modern crime requires both proactive and systematic action. SHIELD will serve as the brain that connects information and tracks international criminal networks, while AI technology through IBOC will act as the eyes and ears overseeing safety on the ground,” Rachada concluded.
“The two systems will work together to protect public property, reduce losses from online threats and build the highest level of confidence among tourists from around the world travelling to Thailand.”
