Gen Wuthi pledged his assurance at a meeting at Phuket Provincial Police headquarters in Phuket Town this morning, when many of the consuls aired their grievances about being poorly informed of police action in investigating the bombings.
At the high-powered meeting were Central Investigation Bureau Deputy Commissioner Maj Gen Adis Ngamchitsuksri, Region 8 Police Deputy Commander Maj Gen Chalit Thinthani and Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Teerapol Thipjaroen.
Also present was Phuket Vice Governor Chokdee Amornwat, the superintendents of all police stations across Phuket and a host of other law-enforcement officials.
Maj Gen Teerapol recognised that many people, especially tourists and other visitors, were concerned for their safety after the explosions in Patong last Friday. (See story here.)
“The Provincial Police has drawn up a four-pronged strategy to improve security here. First, officers will investigate all reports of foreigners becoming victims of crime and ensure that all relevant agencies know of these incidents so better crime-prevention strategies can be developed.
“Second, we will collect as much information about tourists and the areas where they gather in large numbers so we can boost police security in those areas,” Gen Teerapol explained.
“Third, police will use public relations, including local press and foreign volunteers from each country, to inform tourists of incidents and current issues, and fourth, we will use technology to improve security, such as set up CCTV and creating lists of names of known suspects and suspicious items found.
“All this will help provide maximum security for tourists, both Thai and foreign, and prevent such incidents from happening again,” he said.
“And right now, Phuket is back to normal,” Gen Teerapol said