Commenting on the incident during a press trip to Lanta Island in Krabi province over the weekend, Gen Adis said, “The victim might have escaped if she had let go of the bag.”
“It’s the tragic consequences of when we try to hold on to our valuables and a natural reaction we would all tend to make, but my advice would always be to let it go.
“It is not worth losing your life if the bag snatcher retaliates,” he said.
Mrs Smith’s bag contained A$500 and B1,000 in cash, along with her passport.
Acknowledging that the affair has seriously damaged Phuket’s tourism image, he insisted the island remains safe for visitors and asked the media to be objective and cautious in reporting on crime.
“Yes, the island is deeply shocked by this incident and there is a commitment to bring offenders to justice and tackle long-term problems,” he said.
He blamed young offenders, mostly drug addicts, who resorted to petty crime to pay for their addiction. In this particularly shocking incident, the bag snatcher was armed with a deadly weapon and inflicted a deep wound to the heart in a single stroke, he said.
Gen Adis advised visitors not carry valuables and passports in bags when leaving their hotels.
“It’s okay to leave passports in the hotel safe. Possibly [Mrs Smith] was concerned over the possible loss of the passport more than the cash that prompted her to resist,” he said.
Visitors are told by travel agents always to carry their passports with them, as this is required under Thai law, but the tourist police commander said, “It’s not a problem, they can leave their passports at their hotel.”
There is a degree of ambiguity in the advice – there have been examples of expat residents and tourists hauled off to police stations because they could not produce their passports during raids on nightclubs or entertainment spots.
Some police in Phuket in the past have recommended carrying photocopies of the relevant pages, so that tourists can present some form of ID to police.
The tourist police division, nationwide, relies on expatriate volunteers to reach out to tourists and provide assistance. The Phuket incident could raise questions over the potential risks they take when volunteering. Are they putting themselves in danger when patrolling tourist districts?
Gen Adis says they are not in danger, claiming the rule is to always have a police officer accompany volunteers.
“Even if a police officer is not with the volunteers, he should be close by and on call if there is an emergency,” he said.
“Volunteers provide a service, helping tourists to stay out of trouble and enjoy their holiday; they should not put themselves in the way of danger.”
Phuket has 37 volunteers listed on its website with around 10 actively on daily patrols. There were none near Kata Noi beach during the attack last week, but Gen Adis said they will play a vital role in increasing police vigilance at tourist venues.
As for mending Phuket’s image, he added: “We have a problem; by its very nature tourism is about having fun, and enjoying a holiday, so reports on violent crime send the wrong message.
“We have to correct the situation and beef up security at all spots where tourists gather.”