Phuket Provincial Police yesterday identified one Thai news report announcing that officers at the Tha Chatchai Police had received the official order 148/2564, “Re: Assigning duties to the Crime Suppression Division on October 12, 2021 by allowing the police officers working in traffic to issue a ticket to the offender in the specified amount.”
“Phuket Provincial Police would like to clarify that traffic discipline to reduce accidents is an important policy of the state in solving the problem of reducing the loss of life, body and property of the people as a whole,” the Provincial Police said in its response posted online.
According to the report, Tha Chatchai Police have been issuing on average five moving violation tickets a day, though the report did not clarify whether any of those tickets were issued at the checkpoint.
“[Police] have given importance to this matter and assigned Col Aganit Danpitaksat, Deputy Commander of the Phuket Provincial Police, to investigate such cases,” the statement added.
“Slow down a bit, many lives are saved. generosity with traffic discipline,” said the statement, signed off as, “With concern from the spokesperson team of Phuket Province”.
Tha Chatchai Police issued their own statement yesterday, pointing out that for minor transgressions officers will at first only give warnings.
However, any drivers that continue to ignore the warnings will be fined, the statement said.
“The issuance of the said order is aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 infections, preventing illegal acts and crimes, and violations of traffic laws. In the past, there have been frequent accidents in the area of Tha Chatchai Police Station. This is partly due to speeding and not observing traffic discipline.
“In addition, there was news about the smuggling of illegal items into the Phuket area through the Phuket Check Point, therefore we have had to be strict on traffic discipline and crime prevention for the safety of the people of Phuket and tourists who come to visit or come to do business in Phuket, so they are safe,” the statement noted, indicating that heightend checks on people and vehicles coming into Phuket were included as part of teh more stringent measures.
“The Tha Chatchai Police Station has done this for the benefit of the government, the Royal Thai Police and for the people of Phuket to have peace, safe from the dangers of traffic and the dangers of crime. Don’t be paranoid in life,” the statement concluded.