The FACTS behind rumours of police corruption

Admiral Pajun Tamprateep, formerly a close aide to Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda, has been summoned for questioning after he posted a message on the Line chat application alleging that a retired Army general was involved in the “sale” of coveted police posts.

Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who oversees the police force, has flatly denied the charge. Pol General Chakthip, furious, has said his people will try and determine whether Pajun is open to a charge of defamation. If so, he says, legal action will be taken. As so often happens in these cases, the wrong target is chosen.

Pajun is accused of violating the Computer Crimes Act for disseminating a damaging lie online. In his defence he claims he merely picked up the allegation from an undisclosed chat group and then asked if it were true at still another chat site – this one dedicated to police officers. Pajun said he also asked the participating officers if they knew the name of the retired general.

There is nothing new to allegations that prized police jobs can be “bought” for several million baht apiece. The widespread belief is lent credence by research into corruption in the police force. One study in 1994 found that positions at key police stations were “on sale” for between Bt1 million and Bt5 million, while senior positions could be had for Bt10 million.

As the man at the top, Chakthip would be understandably concerned that the allegation undermines his reputation and his talent. But his first duty in this case is to the police force itself – and surely he faces immense difficulty in trying to defend it against 

 a rumour virtually identical to the ones that have been circulating for decades.

The latest iteration of this allegation owes its weight to the long-held conviction that certain jurisdictions present officers with rich opportunities for personal financial gain. Bangkok’s entertainment districts, for instance, have bars that are covertly allowed to stay open beyond the legal closing time – in exchange for elaborate bribes to the cops on patrol. Police assigned to rural districts can’t hope to earn as much. 

Illicit police income in urban areas expands enormously among the unregistered nightspots, gambling dens and brothels. Officially, the cops somehow never seem to know where these illegal businesses are, or even that they exist, and yet the customers have no trouble finding them. The post-coup government has seen several senior officers suspended from duty following raids by Crime Suppression Division officers and soldiers on gambling parlours and brothels in their areas of jurisdiction.

Corruption, overt political intervention and other abuses of power by such lofty authorities have led to growing calls for reform of the police force. Lingering allegations of top jobs being up for sale to the highest bidder must be cleared away, or else the force’s already poor image will only worsen.

This latest charge presents a good opportunity to clear the police of a bad name. Rather than trying to “kill the messenger” or silence whistleblowers, Chakthip should be digging into the meat of the allegation. To put to rest public suspicion, we need to find out if it happened and, if so, who’s involved. If no such crime took place, Chakthip can tell the public with confidence it was just a false alarm. If an investigation finds otherwise, the alarm needs to be heeded.