A CURE FOR POLICING ILLS

SYSTEMIC REFORMS ARE NECESSARY TO BRING ABOUT TRANSPARENCY IN THE RTP AND ENSURE COPS ARE KEPT IN CHECK BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE

A PROPER MECHANISM HAS TO BE PUT IN PLACE TO ADDRESS THE MANAGEMENT OF POWER

When footage of George Floyd’s arrest first surfaced on the internet, many around the world, including Pol Lt Col Krisanaphong Poothakool and Pol Lt Col Peabprom Mekhiyanont, watched in horror as Derek Chauvin, a 19-year police veteran, attempted to arrest the man on suspicion of using counterfeit notes by pinning him to the ground and kneeling on the back of his neck despite Floyd’s pleas that he could not breathe.

Floyd died shortly after lapsing into unconsciousness. According to a private autopsy, the cause of his death — which was ruled a homicide — was reported to be mechanical asphyxia.

Since then, the 46-year-old’s demise has convulsed the US as police reforms gain momentum across the nation and protests have become a daily occurrence.

To determine what the Thai police can learn from this unfortunate incident, sat down with both seasoned officers to get their take on the issue.

Krisanaphong, who spent 26 years in the Royal Thai Police before switching careers to become a criminologist, remarked that the blatant abuse of power by Chauvin in the widely watched clip shows that police brutality can occur not just in developing countries but also developed countries if they fail to address police reforms.

“Obviously police reform is an issue Thailand continues to struggle with because we haven’t made any progress. A reform that we also need to eventually look into is making the disciplinary records of police officers and personnel more transparent to help strengthen our checks and balances,” said the former officer, who also had a short stint on the National Reform Council for police matters.

“Rogue police behaviour is a global phenomenon. According to my view, police reforms are the only way we can keep officers in check and ensure transparency. What transpired in the US was a ticking time bomb. For them, it was

Life racially fuelled, but for countries like Thailand, it could very well be political.

“The [Thai] government has to realise that there has to be freedom of speech in this day and age, especially if the public desires to protest peacefully. Getting the police involved can become a double-edged sword in these matters as one wrong altercation between the protesters and law enforcement can create all sorts of unruly behaviour that can culminate in violent protests if we are not careful.

“It is an open secret that Thai police are often used as instruments for political gain. As long as this practice continues, there is always the chance of the situation getting out of hand.”

Krisanaphong said Thailand has made little to no progress when it comes to police reforms in the last decade, which has resulted in some officers developing a complacent mindset that they will not be held accountable for their actions. This has only made the public resent them even more.

“A proper mechanism has to be put in place to address the management of power within the police force. This should happen in conjunction with establishing a system whereby officers with good conduct are duly rewarded with career advancement while corrupt officers are swiftly punished in a transparent manner,” he said.

“This can only be set in motion when the government prioritises police reforms and takes it seriously. Otherwise, there is the danger of lawlessness. What we see today is that instead of making progress, we have regressed. Having one person hold all the power in the country is something that obviously hasn’t worked. We can only hope that future governments will see the urgency of making police reform a national agenda.”

Krisanaphong said that before one can truly address the culture of abuse of power within the police, one has to understand that it is often human nature for people with far-reaching powers to find loopholes to abuse authority. This makes it all the more necessary to have checks and balances in the system to make their actions transparent to the public.

“That is why police reforms are pivotal and necessary not just in Thailand, but as we have seen, around the world,” he said. “Sweeping changes are taking place in US police forces today because of what happened. What we can learn from this is that we should not wait for something major to take place before we start initiating reforms.

“To actually make this successful also hinges on how well our social mechanisms work. It is a long hard road but it is about time that we embark on it.”

With over 12 years in the Thai police, Peabprom, founder of two chatbot projects, Police Noi and Sis Bot, which provide information to survivors of rape and physical and emotional abuse through Facebook Messenger, shared similar sentiments as Krisanaphong, saying: “The circumstances behind Floyd’s death show us that this incident can happen anywhere, so we have to take stock of making our officers realise that they are not above the law.”

Peabprom, who also had a twoyear stint as a UN police officer in South Sudan and Haiti, admitted to being shocked at the degree of brutality Floyd was made to endure at the hands of Chauvin, saying: “The excessive use of force on Floyd was deplorable. There was no justification for the manner in which Chauvin behaved. There is a rule book of law enforcement to abide by, so there are no excuses. This can and does happen in Thailand also. This is why I believe that we have to develop our police reform standards to address this head-on.”

Adding to this, she continued: “I am a lecturer at the [Thai] police academy. One of my major concerns is that my students should realise that being in the police system here means that one has to develop integrity. Even though it is difficult given the environment they might find themselves in, they need to keep their actions in check and become accountable for their actions. My desire is to see my students not hesitate to stop a fellow officer from abusing his power.”

Peabprom said police reforms are necessary for Thailand not just to help develop the police force but also improve the image of Thai police.

“Thai officers have unfortunately gained a reputation for being corrupt and self-serving,” she said. “I believe if we seriously implement police reforms like having a national standard in terms of policy, law and training requirements, coupled with reporting misconduct and abuse above other things, this would help deal with our policing methods greatly.”

In terms of just how racist Thai officers are, the veteran female officer confessed that Africans in particular have a tendency of being looked at with suspicion by Thai law enforcement.

“They can be stopped on suspicion of drugs and/or illegal dealings on the streets of Bangkok. In my opinion, this mindset could have been instilled in some officers because of a general misconception that a particular race is more prone to committing a certain crime.”

In closing, Peabprom said one of the many lessons Thai police can learn from Floyd’s death is that they need to implement laws derived from UN regulations that allow measures deemed permissible while arresting a suspect.

“We need to educate and develop our officers so they will be grounded on what the law book says about making arrests. With the right knowledge, they can then develop their tactics, which comes through experience.

”A shortage of such knowledge and common sense can make some officers have a mindset that they can do as they please. It is high time we pull up our socks and incorporate international measures to strengthen our own laws in policing.’’