Royal Thai Police

The Royal Thai Police ( _th. สำนักงานตำรวจแห่งชาติ) are the national police of Thailand.

Police Divisions

The Thai police are subdivided into several regions and services, each enjoying their own powers.

* Royal Thai Police Headquarters - Bangkok
** Director-General of Police
* Border Patrol Police Division 40,000 paramilitary force
** BPP General Staff Division
** BPP Tactical Training Division
** BPP Support Division
** BPP "Nawut Sondetya" Hospital
** BPP Village Scout Center
** BPP Counter-Insurgency Training Center
** BPP Districts 1 thru 4
** Police Aerial Reinforcement Unit (PARU)
*** Airborne Training
*** Naresuan 261 Counter-Terrorism Unit (formerly the 4th Company PARU)
*** Sea Air Rescue Unit
* Bangkok Metropolitan Police
* Central Investigation Bureau - national coordinating headquarters which assist provincial and metropolitan components in preventing and suppressing criminal activity and in minimizing threats to national security.
** Crime Suppression Division, Responsible for investigating and enforcing Thai criminal laws
*** Emergency Unit(s) - a mobile unit used to suppress riots and public disorders, combat sabotage, counterfeiting, fraud, illegal gambling, narcotics trafficking, secret societies, and organized crime.
** Forestry Police Division
** Highway Police Division
** Marine Police Division
** Railroad Police Division
** Special Branch Division
** Licenses Division - registers and licenses all of the following: firearms, explosives, vehicles, aircraft, boats, gambling establishments, and various other items and organizations.
** Criminal Records Office
** Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory
* Office of Immigration Bureau
* Narcotics Suppression Bureau
* Office Of Logistics
** Aviation Division
* Office of Royal Court Security Police
** Crown Prince's Royal Protective Unit
***Crown Prince Royal Protective Unit 'Dechochai Knight 3'
* Provincial Police Division - divided into 9 regions covering the 75 Provinces of Thailand except metropolitan Bangkok and the border areas.
** Region 1 Ayuthaya
** Region 2 Chonburi
** Region 3 Nakhon Ratchasima
** Region 4 Khon Kaen
** Region 5 Chiang Mai
** Region 6 Phitsanulok
** Region 7 Nakhon Pathom
** Region 8 Surat Thani
** Region 9 Songkhla
** Chaiya Training
** Special Operations Units
* 191 Special Branch Police
** Arintharat 26 Special Operations Unit
* Training Division
* Tourist Police - uniformed personnel who lack police powers and are largely responsible for writing out reports for insurance companies for victims of theft. In more serious cases, they will translate reports to be passed on the normal police in Bangkok. Recently recruiting foreign nationals living in Thailand.
** Training
* Immigration Police Division
* Marine Police Division
* Metropolitan Police Division, Bangkok
* Narcotics Supression Division
* Provincial Police Division

Notable Thai Police Chiefs

* Phao Sriyanond (also "Pao Sriyanond") was Director General of Thailand's national police from 1951 to 1957.
* Sarit Dhanarajata was Director General of Thailand's national police from 1959 to 1963.
* Pratin Santiprapop was Director General of the Royal Thai Police from 1994 to 1994.
* Poj Boonyajinda was Director General of the Royal Thai Police from 1994 to 1997.
* Pracha Promnog was Director General of the Royal Thai Police from 1997 to 1998 and Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police from 1998 to 2000.
* Pornsak Durongkavibulya was Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police from 2000 to 2001.
* Sant Sarutanond was Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police from 2001 to 2004.
* Kowit Wattana was Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police from 2004 to 2007.
* Seripisut Temiyavet was the acting Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police from February 5, 2007 to September 10, 2007.
* Kowit Wattana was reinstated as Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police from September 10, 2007 to September 30, 2007 (his mandatory retirement).
* Seripisut Temiyavet was Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police starting from October 1, 2007. In early 2008 he was removed from office by the Thaksin puppet government of Samak Sundaravej, ostensibly because he had called a junior staff member a water buffalo. However, Seri had prosecuted many cases against the former premier, and his removal from duties and criminal charges against him are widely accepted to be put-up jobs by the Samak government to punish him.

ee also

* Controversy over Police Conduct in Pai

References

Further reading

*Citation
last = Lyovarin
first = Win
coauthors = translated by Prisna Boonsinsukh
year = 2003
title = Democracy, Shaken and Stirred
publisher = Bangkok?
isbn = 9789749129692. Refend [http://www.2bangkok.com/2bangkok/thaimediaproject/DemocracyShakenandStirred.shtml Review by Thai Media Project]

External links

* [http://www.police.go.th Official Royal Thai Police website] th icon
* [http://www.nationreligionking.com English Information on the Royal Thai Police]
* [http://www.un.org/events/humanrights/udhr60/index.shtml Your Human Rights]