Col Peerayuth was speaking at a meeting on Friday afternoon (December 20) to brief banks and gold shops on how they can beef up their security.
Police decided to call the meeting following the two ATM robberies at the beginning of December, one at Boat Lagoon and the other in Patong, along with gold shop robberies over the past year.
These two businesses, they reasoned, are more likely than most to be targeted by criminals because they deal in cash (in the case of banks) and in easily sold goods (in the case of gold shops).
Col Peerayuth said that police were coming across an increasing number of cases of foreigners arriving in Phuket posing as tourists but with plans to commit crimes.
This was true of both ATM robberies, one carried out by two Vietnamese and the other by two Colombians and a Mexican.
Col Peerayuth presided over the meeting at the Phuket Provincial Police Headquarters, which drew representatives of gold shops, banks, and security truck companies.
Pol Col Peerayuth said ATM machines should not be installed in quiet, dark areas, and any bushes or tress surrounding them should be cut back.
Banks should install ATM machines that are refilled from the front, not the back, because many times criminals have got into machines by breaking into the small room at the back of the machine, where they are hidden from view while they break into the ATM.
Banks should also fit much stronger locks than they do at present; many ATMs are protected only with padlocks, which are easily disposed of by thieves.
As for gold shops, the police recommended that they install grilles on display cabinets and remotely-controlled door locks. They should also install alarm sirens.
Both banks and gold shops should have high quality CCTV cameras switched on all the time, and which are checked regularly to ensure they are working properly.
Col Peerayuth urged all banks to employ security guards – some banks still don’t have them.
In November last year, after he was caught, Kasikornbank robber Anusit “Aow” Keawmukda said he targeted a Kasikornbank branch in Thepkrassattri because it had no security guard.
Police said banks and gold shops should also be stricter in not allowing people to enter while wearing jackets or motorbike helmets.
The man who robbed the CP Goldmaster shop at Tesco-Lotus on the bypass in April this year wore a motorbike helmet with a medical mask to hide his face. He used the pistol to shoot and kill a customer who tried to talk him out of the robbery.
Bank staff should also be more observant; if someone sits in a bank for a long time without transacting any business, it could be because they are waiting for a customer to withdraw a large amount of money before following them and robbing them.
Those at the meeting said they had found the information useful and helpful, and said they would take the ideas back to their companies.
About 40 companies were invited to the meeting, but only half that number attended.
Col Peerayuth decided to look on the bright side. “Let’s think positively. [Those who did not attend] must have gotten important business to do.
“But all these operators need to take action to protect themselves. The police can offer support, but we have to work together.”