Police chief vows to crack down on anti-monarchy campaigners as his top priority

Wichean: A serious concern

Response is intrigued. The police chief doesn't see lese majeste as just one of his priorities to be integrated in to the work of a senior police officer, but as his main priority.

Ordinary Thai people will not see the benefits of an accountable, professional service or of police who see their jobs as being to protect and serve those who pay their wages. He will not be prioritizing security, interpersonal or anti-social crime, not the ravaging effects of drug use on inner-city communities, not trans-border people smuggling or corruption. Under his leadership, their will be a focus on prosecuting people with " the full wrath of the police force" for disagreeing with him.

In a quick search it is difficult to find the priorities of the police forces of neighbouring countries and Response's language skills wouldn't be up to it if they were. Further afield; and the whole of the first page of Google results for "policing priorities" are from regional British police so in this case we're talking about the UK, the priorities are quite different. The publicly stated priorities of the British police include the following: to "make communities safer", to "deliver a more effective, transparent and responsive criminal justice system for victims and the public", "reduce the harm caused by alcohol and drugs", "tackle terrorism and violent extremism", "tackle serious and organized crime". Never one to advocate blindly for the police, but Khun Wichean's priorities are seemingly less specific, except on his one main priority. It seems that if the Thai's are looking for a police service, they've got a way to go yet.



http://www.hertspa.org/committees/14140504/14148539/14187452/
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/204171/wichean-takes-it-personally