An interview with Police Colonel Nanthawut Suwanla-Ong,
Superintendent of Pattaya City Police Station
Police
Colonel Nanthawut Suwanla-Ong.
Maxmilian Wechsler
No one should envy Pol Col Nanthawut Suwanla-Ong, 38, at
his position of superintendent of Pattaya City police station.
“With about 100,000 Thais living here and 400,000 foreign
residents and tourists that include Thais and with more than 100,000 people
coming here during weekends, it is not an easy task if you have only 400
policemen and women at your disposal,” Col Nanthawut pointed out.
“Our police station ranks among the five most difficult
areas in Thailand as Thai criminals from all over the country come here
because they know that those who come here for a holiday must have money.
“We must also add the foreign criminals. Some are well
dressed and behave well but come here to commit crimes as well. I am talking
especially about paedophiles. Pattaya is a magnet for them,” Col Nanthawut
said and added, “Thailand opens the country for the foreigners without
screening. The burden lies on the police who must assure security for all
people. My prime mission in Pattaya is to ensure safety and security for the
public, especially foreigners, and to suppress gunman in the area.
“With such concentration of criminals in a relatively
small area, you have a guarantee of crime being committed more frequently
than somewhere else in Thailand. Here we have to deal with murders, sex
crimes, illicit drug trade, weapons, kidnappings, stealing, prostitution,
fighting, car and motorcycle accidents and other crimes. And this is
something I face on a daily basis.”
The Colonel is a son of a low-ranking police officer.
“Because I was born into a police family, I understand how police work and
what they feel,” he said.
He was assigned to this job by Pol Gen Aswin Kwanmuang,
acting commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 1 Bureau.
“I arrive at Pattaya City police station at 8 a.m. every
day and work until 2 - 3 a.m. ...” He will not only organize and manage, but
every day will go out into the streets to arrest criminals as an example for
others.
“Despite all the problems I have, crime is down compared
to the same period last year. This is mainly because I have initiated
several programs and innovations, like improving the working conditions for
the police and their families as well as improving the facilities and
service at Pattaya police station,” Col Nanthawut said.
After taking the post in February, he renovated the
police station. It is a startling difference to what the same area looked
like only a year ago. The main hall where people will pay fines, wait to
lodge complaints or seek help from the police is fully air conditioned,
brightly lit and furnished with several rows of comfortable chairs. A small
coffee corner will allow people to have refreshment while they are waiting
to meet Thai police officers or foreign volunteers stationed there around
the clock.
“It doesn’t look like a typical Thai police station,”
said one foreign resident who was paying a fine for a traffic violation, and
it was not the first time either.
“Some foreign tourists came here and wanted to check in
because they thought it was a hotel, while some Russian women thought it was
department store,” Col Nanthawut said, laughing.
He also mentioned that the police have been assisted by
donations from the private sector, which also allowed him to improve the
facilities. Central Department Store located next to the station allows the
police to use their car park for police vehicles, as the space in front of
the station is very small.
Col Nanthawut then spoke about his work: “Two of my main
aims are to motivate and evaluate my staff. I am also educating the police
as well as the public. When I came here in February, I increased the
frequency and the number of policemen patrolling on motorcycle from eight to
ten. I bought two pickup trucks and installed police lights with my own
money because we are short of vehicles.
“In the past, police here weren’t really motivated, so I
set up a strategy to encourage them by giving them and their families better
conditions to perform their duty well. For example, I will take a care of
their accommodations.
“I will also motivate the patrol police by giving them a
score for their performance and rewards for the best ones. I do care about
the result and outcome of their work. For example, if a crime occurs in one
district, the police will have points deducted which will inspire them to
work better. But when police perform well, they get plus points and they
will be rewarded. I will give a financial reward to any policeman who can
arrest anyone with a gun.
“I have devised a three points plan: Firstly, I will go
to schools and hotels, for example, to educate people how to avoid being
victims of crime.
“Secondly, as about 90 percent of criminals use illicit
drugs, my priority is to cut the crime rate by arresting them before they
commit a crime. This applies to users, suppliers and smugglers.
“Finally, because of a shortage of personnel, I am using
about 800 Thai and about 100 foreign volunteers. They cannot arrest anyone
or carry a weapon. Foreigners are also stationed at the police station to
help other foreigners who need assistance from the police. They can speak
many languages and are able to communicate with many nationals, including
Russians, with thousands of them staying currently in Pattaya.”
The Colonel said that the popular drug in Pattaya is
methamphetamine (ya ba). When addicts have no money to buy drugs, they will
go out with an intention to commit a crime. They will steal valuables and
money from people here … mostly foreign tourists. “I can arrest about 500
addicts each month, which is quite a lot.”
To prevent an influx of criminals, he set up checkpoints
in all directions coming to the area during the night to search people and
vehicles.
“We can identify criminals often by the type of car they
drive. They like to modify their vehicles, like install big exhaust pipe,
fancy lights, or even remove their car number plate.
“Because my area has a lot of accommodation facilities
which are quite expensive, the criminals live somewhere else and come here
to commit crime. That’s why it is my intention to prevent them from entering
by setting up checkpoints. The criminals know that tourists have money,
jewelry, expensive watches, etc., so they will target mainly foreigners,”
Col Nanthawut mentioned.
According to him, one of the most common crimes in
Pattaya is theft committed by prostitutes and transvestites. They will
target drunken foreigners, go to a hotel with them, put sleeping pills in
their drinks and rob them.
“We used to have several foreign criminal gangs here,
like the one involving Columbian nationals. They rented a car, went to
various residential villages around Pattaya, and entered houses to steal
everything, including safes. They were specialists in this field. They could
break in and take cash and other valuables, and send it by FedEx back home.
“We don’t have much trouble with Europeans, except the
time when two Holland gangs involved in drugs came here to settle their
financial problems. It ended with a kidnapping, but we managed to free the
victim. We also had a case with the Serbians who had stolen an ATM machine.
There was also a murder committed by a Russian gay man. We don’t have many
murders in Pattaya now. This type of crime decreased since I took my post
here.
“As for paedophiles, it is very hard to identify who
likes children. We will welcome all foreign tourists to Thailand but we
can’t check everyone’s background whether they are paedophiles or not,” Col
Nanthawut said.
“Concerning (people selling) child porn VDOs, even though
arrested very often, they will always return. We have problems arresting
them because they don’t keep the disk inside the cover. We use foreign
buyers and follow the seller to the place where disks and covers are kept.
“In regard to suicides, there are many. I am really
surprised about it. Many foreigners come here to kill themselves. Most of
them will jump from a high rise. Some foreigners suffered from sickness and
decide to jump from the roof.”
Commenting on crime against foreigners, Col Nanthawut
said that it mainly involves accidents with jet skis. There are many and
there are usually problems with liability. “I have called meetings with jet
ski operators and told them that they should arrange insurance for their
clients. I am not sure whether they follow my advice or not. So, when an
accident or other problem happens, the injured party should come to Pattaya
City police station and make a report. We will try to help. We have
established a one-stop service where everyone will be attended without a
long wait.
“I could solve 100 percent of cases involving serious
crime, like murders and shootings, because of my initiative to help the
police and their families. They are encouraged and want to perform well.
“When we set up an undercover operation to purchase
drugs, it usually ends with a gunfight. They always shoot at the police.
That’s why I have a machinegun and bullet proof vests always close to me in
case I have to rush to the scene.”
The number one crime in Pattaya is theft, committed by
all kinds of people but especially drug addicts. “We have such cases every
day. Theft of motorcycles is next, with other crimes following. These crimes
are all connected to drugs,” Col Nanthawut disclosed and remarked that no
casino operates in the area under his jurisdiction. He is sure of that.
When asked what his biggest problem is, he answered:
“Pattaya is a special city but uses the same laws as in other parts of the
country. For example, as for the bar closing time, the law allows bars to
remain open until 2 a.m. But in Pattaya, many tourists will go out after
midnight, so we cannot close bars and other entertainment venues at 2 a.m.
So, I will allow them to open until 4 a.m. causing some authorities not to
understand my decision.”
